Shimizu talked with Miss Shimadzu for a long time but failed to figure out their current location. Although Shimizu wasn’t daft when it came to directions, she wasn’t particularly good at geography or astronomy.
Shimadzu Inari boasted that as long as it was on the sea, there was no place that she couldn’t find1, however….she was a bit ignorant when it came to land
Keihachi hopped over and said, “It seems you have quite a good relationship? Anyway, you are looking for the ancient jade near this village, right? If you manage to hunt and obtain any anima or other precious materials, you can sell them to me in exchange for food, shelter, and other supplies. Miss Shimizu, don’t think that you can leech off the village without paying anything. In addition, due to the increased arrival of female warriors, numerous businesses have been developed to accommodate them. Our village also provides all kinds of feminine products, ribbit!
Shimizu frowned slightly, “I need money for lodging?”
Her pocket’s situation wasn’t looking very good. She lost her money pouch when she was swept onto the deserted island. Because she had no use for it then, she didn’t care too much. After all, her only concern at the time was escaping the island alive…
Shimizu spoke again, “I can’t live in the village, then?”
“Hehe, you’ll have to survive in the wilderness. At night, terrible demons come out to patrol. Those demons aren’t something you female samurai can deal with, but they won’t enter the village. Remember, you must return before midnight. Female samurai who spend the night in the wild almost never come back.” Keihachi warned smugly.
“Hey! Aren’t you stingy frogs taking advantage of people and exploiting our money?” Miss Shimadzu crossed her arms.
“Ribbit, our clan has remained here for generations to receive and aid female samurai in searching for the ancient jade. We also need to make a living too, don’t we? Ribbit! I still want to save enough money to wed a female samurai.” Keihachi jumped and replied.
“Haha…” Shimizu laughed helplessly, “Just look at you. Unless she is blind, which female samurai will marry you?”
“You can’t say that. In this village, money talks. Besides, you female samurai can’t leave this place until you find the ancient jade. As time goes by, most eventually choose someone from the village to marry. The richest guy in the village named Yokozuna married three female samurai! He is my idol! I want to aim for him! If you can’t find the ancient jade in a few years and decide to settle down, maybe you can consider me?” Keihachi blinked at Shimizu.
“Get lost!” Shimizu spat coldly without sparing any face.
“I see, I think you are pretty good!” Miss Shimadzu bent her athletic body and twisted the white cheeks of the tree frog, “Our family can be delicious when we make frog soup in the evenings. Hmm, why don’t you marry me and I will make soup for Miss Shimizu at night?”
“Ri—ribbit. Ah, this is a matter of love and the village doesn’t lack willing individuals. A manly woman such as yourself doesn’t need to consider someone like me.” The tree frog struggled and waved his hands in a hurry.
“Okay, stop making trouble,” Shimizu interceded, “Keihachi, where can I go find the ancient jade?”
The frog rubbed his cheeks and replied aggrievedly, “If I knew, I would’ve taken it for myself. Some female warriors would gladly offer their hands in marriage for it. That ancient jade could be anywhere among the forest of giant trees, but only you female warriors can venture out to find it. No one knows where it is. It could be buried in the mud of the valley or cultivated by demons. There are some very rare demons here. Regardless of their realm or level of strength, they all possess spirit jades. If you manage to kill one and its spirit jade resembles a plain magatama without any luster, it could be the ancient jade! However, this kind of demon is extremely rare and difficult to encounter. There are so many female warriors hunting them so you may not meet one in a couple of years. By the way, there are some relics of ancient civilizations in this forest. According to legend, there is a possibility to find ancient jade in those relics. It’s just that ruins are more dangerous than the demons that prowl in the middle of the night.”
“So according to you, there is more than one ancient jade? Have any female warriors ever found an ancient jade?” Shimizu asked.
“Of course! Every year, there are one or two lucky women who find the ancient jade. Those who do perhaps experience a change in their destinies. Some leave after accomplishing their goal, but most of them will choose to stay here and practice.” Keihachi said.
“Why not leave after finding it?” “Miss Shimadzu patted Shimizu’s shoulder lightly, “Not everyone has such a pure motive for coming here.” “Don’t touch me!” Shimizu shouted and stepped back warily. “Eh?” Miss Shimadzu was taken aback. She soon resumed her smile, “Sorry, sorry, I’m not used to being around you, Missy.” “Sorry,” Shimizu shook her head, “I am not used to being touched by others.”
Shimadzu beamed, “Oh? If that’s the case, I won’t do that next time, okay? Miss, don’t be angry. Since you are not from Heian-kyō, you may not know. Recently, the price of ancient jade in the capital has gotten extremely high. Selling one is enough to afford the resources necessary for achieving the peak Permanence Stage. If you can get a few, you’ll instantly become one of the richest women in the Heian Dynasty. Ancient jade can also be directly exchanged for a large number of treasures that money cannot buy. It is definitely a great opportunity to accumulate resources to aid one’s practice!”
“What? Selling ancient jade for money?” Shimizu frowned. She was guided to this place by the great will. How could her destiny be mixed with the impure motives of other women?
Shimadzu continued with a grin, “The ancient jade is rare not only because of the difficulty and danger involved in finding it, but also because this incredible place is restricted to young female warriors of a special bloodline. After all, do you see a lot of female warriors coming and leaving frequently? Young women who possess both the required bloodline and strength are extremely rare in the Heian Dynasty. Only one or two ancient jades are brought back every year. If our luck is particularly bad, not even a single ancient jade can be found throughout the entire year. However, the capital has a great demand for ancient jade. For example, the Fujiwara Clan, Minamoto Clan, and even the royal family are all buying at sky-high prices! Hey, I don’t mind if Miss Shimizu makes fun of me. I’m also here because our Satsuma clan is too poor and can’t afford enough warships. Because of this, we are often bullied by other clans. I only came here so I could exchange for a lot of money.”
“…isn’t your Satsuma Country far away from the Heian Dynasty? Even if you obtain an ancient jade, how do you intend to get there?”
“Hehe, there is a secret waterway called the ecliptic waterway that leads to Sankai Port. That is the only route with fewer demons which makes it relatively safe. However, it is very expensive to take the ecliptic waterway. Our Shimadzu clan has never been there. Well, if I have the ancient jade, the cost is nothing in comparison.” Miss Shimadzu laughed.
Shimizu’s chest heaved slightly. She somewhat understood the situation here. Regardless of other people’s motives, she came here to find the ancient jade according to the guidance of the great will residing in the ancient tomb.
No matter how difficult and dangerous it is, I must find the ancient jade! Shimizu silently made up her mind, If not, what’s the point of my separation from Sister Lily and coming here alone? Sooner or later, my sister will need my protection. I need to prepare for that day! I will definitely come back to you my sister; my only love…Lily2.
…
Currently, four or five hours had passed since the agreed-upon time of the duel. The sun began to set in the west, and the sky blossomed with gorgeous orange clouds.
However, no one on the island had any time to appreciate the beautiful scenery. Most of them were complaining, anxious, or cursing the Eastern barbarian for not keeping his word.
Tamurakonoe was still as calm as water, his eyes closed in serene meditation. Lily was late, perhaps because of the bad weather on Lake Biwa or as a deliberate psychological tactic.
“Look, something’s coming!” A samurai suddenly shouted from the shore
On the lake, there was a figure paddling a small canoe and approaching slowly.
“That Eastern b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲! Why is he only coming now?” “It must be intentional!” “Despicable fellow!”
As the boat got closer and closer, everyone gradually saw the appearance of the person on the boat.
It was a rugged man with a dark and sturdy body. He wore shabby clothes, and the big beard brushing his tough face gave him a mature look3.
“It’s the genius samurai of Eastern land!” “Who else could it be? With that look, it should be him— Lord Tamurakonoe’s opponent!”
The man was almost identical to the rumored image of the Eastern genius samurai. Naturally, everyone immediately ‘recognized’ him.
The samurai used his thick arms to paddle the boat into the shallows. He appeared unruly and his waist was fitted with two swords. The man reached into his clothes and scratched while cursing. His behavior was rough and bold, quite like the style of Eastern samurai that everyone imagined.
As soon as the bearded samurai came ashore, he was greeted with a plethora of boos and verbal abuse. Instinctively, he felt that the situation wasn’t good. He turned around and wanted to retreat to his boat, but was immediately caught by a group of angry spectators.
“Want to run? Catch him!” “He must be scared of Lord Tamurakonoe’s strength! Not only is he late, but he’s trying to run after stalling for so long!”
“Hey, what are you doing?! What are you doing?!” The samurai cursed in a panic.
“Are you a samurai from Eastern land?” A bearded, green-clad samurai of Western land who reeked of sweat asked.
“How do you know? I drifted here all the way from Mino and finally found a piece of land. I didn’t expect so many people to be here.” The besieged samurai replied.
“Nonsense! We were all here waiting for you!” The crowd shouted.
“Waiting for me?” The samurai was dumbfounded.
“Hurry up and get on the shore. We are waiting for you to duel with the number one fastest sword of Western land’s younger generation, Lord Tamurakonoe!” The crowd pulled the bearded man up to the shore opposite Tamurakonoe.
“Duel?? Wh-what duel?! Didn’t you hear what I said?! If I was able to make it to Mino, I wouldn’t have risked coming here to eke out a living in Iga. What duel are you talking about?” The samurai panicked.
“You still want to deny it? I think you are afraid so you’re making things up on purpose, right?” Someone kept pulling the befuddled man.
“You people are sick! I found an island to rest, yet you want to drag me into a duel? What the hell! Let me go!” “Eastern samurai, if you are timid, just admit defeat! Don’t make up these excuses to lie to us!” “Admit defeat? I will never admit defeat as a warrior of the East!” “If you won’t admit defeat, hurry and start the duel already!” “Let go, let go of me—”
“Enough!” Tamurakonoe suddenly opened his eyes and shouted.
The crowd froze. They all stopped and looked at Tamurakonoe.
He looked at the bearded samurai, shook his head contemptuously, and said, “It’s not him.”
“Huh???!” Everyone was shocked.
At this moment, the two girls who remained calm in the crowd saw some unusual movements on the lake.
“Sister Koko, look!” Miko Yanagi Kyori’s clear and innocent voice broke the dull commotion on the island.
Everyone else also looked in that direction.
A wave of water was gradually approaching the shoreline. It glistened in an orange hue under the shower of evening sunlight.
The wave was getting bigger and bigger, and above it, there was something surfing its mountainous crest!
“That…what is that?” A few Southern samurai in straw coats trembled and gawked at the giant shadow blanketing the lake.
