“Just a question, why are you so nervous?”
Seeing Chouji’s anxious expression, Luo Qing was puzzled. He hadn’t done anything yet, so why was this kid so worked up?
“I…”
“M-Master, my mom is sick too… Please, don’t harm her…” Chouji’s voice was trembling, his words carrying a hint of a sob. He thought bitterly that he never should have approached the Fatui.
The grown-ups were right—these people were even worse than pirates or soldiers…
“When did I say I was going to harm your mother?” Luo Qing frowned, wondering what kind of strange thoughts were running through the boy’s head.
“Alright, I was just asking. If you don’t want to talk about it, then forget it. It’s fine. You can go now.”
He waved dismissively, indicating that Chouji was free to leave. When Luo Qing turned back to observe the village, the boy had already vanished from sight.
In the game, Higi Village was deserted, overrun by wandering ronin and bandits, with no sign of the original villagers. Yet now, there were still refugees and villagers inhabiting the settlement, which caught him by surprise.
As he was musing, snippets of a conversation reached his ears.
“Did you hear? Ryoko from the south side of the village passed away.”
“That’s not all. Tsune from the west—she couldn’t stand the voices of the lingering spirits in her head and threw herself into the sea…”
“Sigh… When will this nightmare end?”
“What’s that Snezhnayan doing here? Isn’t he afraid of catching whatever we have?”
“Fatui, huh… They’re a bunch of reckless types. Who knows, maybe they were the ones behind the explosion at Tatarasuna…”
“Tsk, seems I arrived just in time.”
Glancing at the wary villagers who were eyeing him, Luo Qing couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.
He still remembered the tragic fate of Higi Village from his gaming days. The sight of the villagers still alive here left him unexpectedly nostalgic.
Lost in thought, he noticed a squad of heavily-armored samurai entering from the opposite end of the village.
The leader carried a flyer, which he raised high as he reached the village center, shouting out loud:
“Citizens of Higi Village! Lord Kujou Takayuki of the Tenryou Commission sympathizes deeply with the hardships faced by the refugees of Yashiori Island and has come to rescue you!”
“The Tenryou Commission will ensure your safe departure from this island and transport you to Narukami Island!”
“If you are in dire need of aid, head immediately to the front lines of the Kujou encampment!”
With that, the samurai leader posted the flyer onto a stone wall and quickly led his men out of the village.
A crowd of villagers gathered around the flyer, murmuring among themselves.
“Didn’t the Shogunate forbid us from leaving? Why are they suddenly offering to help?”
“Who knows? Maybe it’s another one of their schemes… Those soldiers are no better than bandits! If they hadn’t messed with the warding stones, none of us would be sick! They’re worse than the pirates!”
“I can’t stay here any longer. If I do, I’ll either starve or get sick…”
“Yeah, at least if we go to the Kujou camp, there’ll be food…”
After some discussion, many of the refugees started making their way to the Kujou camp, leaving only a handful of local villagers who were still hesitant, uncertain whether to trust the Shogunate’s notice.
To Luo Qing’s amusement, not far from the Shogunate’s flyer was another notice, this one from the Sangonomiya Resistance.
It read:
“The Shogunate’s tyranny is unjust. The gods have abandoned us. Join the Resistance and overthrow the rule of the Shogunate!”
“How interesting…”
Luo Qing knew well what awaited those who believed in the Kujou camp’s promises. After all, the one who issued that order was none other than Kujou Takayuki, the head of the Kujou Clan and a close ally of the Fatui.
And as fate would have it, his mission here involved dealing with that very man—finding leverage to secure his complete cooperation with the Fatui.
“So it seems I won’t be able to stay a mere bystander.”
Luo Qing wasn’t the type to go out of his way to save people he had no connection with. He wasn’t cruel, but neither was he excessively kind-hearted. However, now that the fate of Higi Village’s villagers might serve as a valuable bargaining chip against Kujou Takayuki, he saw a potential opportunity.
As he pondered his next move, he heard a boy’s anxious voice not far away.
Turning around, he saw Chouji, who had previously disappeared, back at the village entrance, crying out to a young man.
“Brother Bohboh, my mom is gone… Did you see her anywhere?”
“This isn’t the right place to talk…”
Bohboh glanced around warily before pulling Chouji into a secluded corner.
Curious, Luo Qing quietly followed.
From the shadow of a nearby house, he watched Bohboh take out a letter and hand it to Chouji.
“Your mother… she went far away to seek treatment for her illness. This is the letter she left for you…”
Chouji opened the letter and began reading. It wasn’t long before tears streamed down his face.
“Mom… She left me behind…”
“No, no! She just went to get better. Once the war is over, she’ll come back for you!” Bohboh said, trying to comfort him.
“I…”
After a moment of silence, Chouji seemed to make up his mind. “I’m going to find her!” he declared, his voice resolute. He slung his basket over his shoulder and dashed out of the village.
“Ah… That kid…”
Bohboh shook his head helplessly, preparing to leave as well. But as he turned around, he found himself face to face with a well-dressed foreigner watching him intently.
“A foreigner?”
Bohboh was surprised. He didn’t want to get involved with someone who looked so out of place, so he simply glanced at Luo Qing before heading for the village entrance.
Seeing Bohboh’s clear desire to avoid interaction, Luo Qing chose not to press the matter.
Suddenly, another samurai—dressed in simpler attire, more akin to the locals—entered from the east road and nearly collided with Bohboh.
Unlike the heavily-armored Shogunate soldiers from earlier, this man was dressed in plain cloth and appeared to be a fellow villager from Higi.
“Bohboh, why are there so few people left in the village? Where have they gone?” the newcomer asked.
“Chief Jinjou,” Bohboh responded, his tone uneasy. “The Kujou forces came earlier with a notice, saying they’d help evacuate us to Narukami Island. Many refugees went to their camp, and a few villagers decided to check it out as well…”
Bohboh’s nervous expression made it clear he wasn’t comfortable around the village chief.
“The Shogunate forces? Hah! They’re nothing but liars! Those men cannot be trusted!”
Jinjou’s hand tightened around his sword hilt as he cursed loudly. Then, turning back to Bohboh, he asked, “Where’s Chouji’s mother? She usually goes to the shrine to pray every day. I haven’t seen her today.”
“She…”
Bohboh hesitated, glancing down. “I… I don’t know… I haven’t seen her today…”
“Hmph. She used to pray at the shrine every day, and now she’s gotten lazy? With that attitude, how does she expect to earn the Shogun’s favor?”
“This…”
Bohboh was at a loss for words, desperately searching for an excuse to escape the conversation. At that moment, the well-dressed foreigner walked up.
“Excuse me,” Luo Qing said with a friendly smile, “You mentioned a shrine to the Almighty Shogun. Could you show me the way?”
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