Chapter 9: Half-Siblings From Different Mothers
"His condition is relatively optimistic, but he must rest in peace. I will prescribe some tonifying and blood-enriching medicine."
"He cannot be overextended himself for at least one or two years, and he still needs to pay attention to his diet. If he takes medicated diets, it would be better for his health."
"There will be a medicated diet master nearby…In fact, the potions made by the witch are equally effective. If you are interested, you can also take a look."
"It wouldn't hurt to take him to the shrine more often. The clear spiritual energy can purify the body and mind, and it's also good for his injuries."
"I suggest that you visit the Fushimi Shrine and get some amulets while you're there."
…
Through the door, Bai Wei caught a faint drift of the medical instructions.
The doctor's instructions were very detailed, but there were also some strange parts that, in today's age, are not uncommon. A significant portion of the mysterious system has already been integrated into daily life, especially in the aspects related to medicine, which has been assimilated over several centuries.
Some modern medical conditions that are difficult to cure can be easily resolved with mysterious remedies, while certain ailments that cannot be addressed by mysticism can be dealt with simply through one surgical operation.
Bai Wei lay on the sickbed, the pain in his chest had become very mild, but there was still a long way to go before full recovery.
A hidden injury is the most difficult disease to treat, it's like a crack added within the body, which may recur at any time.
Although this disease is stubborn, there are always ways and channels to cure it. He knew no less than three.
At this moment, Bai Wei stared at the ceiling, not thinking about the illness.
He had been asleep for a day and a half, and woke up just at dawn.
Accompanying him by the window at that time was his half-sister, borne of a different mother and father.
She was a resident of Yingzhou who had been adopted by her uncle and aunt.
The two of them had spent five years together, from strangers to familiar acquaintances, to becoming as close as biological siblings.
Several months ago, in order to care for his little sister, Bai Wei had come to Yingzhou as a temporary guardian. Afterwards, due to the family's inherited property and land, he caught the attention of a gang organization and subsequently unleashed his fury in several vicious fights, which caused his internal injuries to relapse and nearly proved fatal.
These past occurrences were of little consequence; what Bai Wei was concerned about was her name.
Yagyū Simozi.
It sounds very familiar.
Her name was not in his memory, but it felt extremely familiar. He even had a vague dream about her while he was in a semi-conscious state.
However, he was vividly aware that it was very likely not just a dream.
If it wasn't a dream, but something else, then the situation would be somewhat troublesome.
"Brother, brother?"
A sound came through. Bai Wei regained his senses and saw a girl waving her hand in front of him.
"Are you okay, brother? Why are you daydreaming again? Did you hit your head?"
Her expression was full of concern.
"Just a little distracted." Bai Wei shook his head and glanced at the girl for a moment.
The city of Yingzhou is now in the midst of an economic growth period, enjoying a prosperous era, but the thoughts have not yet completely embraced modernization and openness.
This is also reflected in the costume of women.
Yagyū Simozi, a native of Yingzhou, has no resistance to wearing clothes that conform to her ethnicity. Her current outfit is a slightly trendy version of a school uniform, but it is not modern Western attire such as sailor suits. Instead, it is a type of Japanese kimono known as an "ebicha hakama". Unlike a traditional one-piece kimono, this outfit has a skirt that is lengthy, reaching below the waist and down to the ankle. This lengthy skirt is called a kimono female hakama, pronounced the same as "pants".
An ebicha hakama is a two-foot-long skirt sleeve paired with a lantern female hakama and beautiful ladies' boots.
When Bai Wei sees this outfit, it appears quite old-fashioned, but in today's standards, it is still considered fashionable. When worn by Yagyū Simozi, it creates an illusion of starring in a period drama, as if she had really stepped into the Taishō era, witnessing the lively and youthful female students singing with vitality.
Her stature is quite tall, approaching one meter and seventy centimeters at the young age of only seventeen. Her facial features are delicate and her long hair is only tied on one side with a hairband, enough to earn her a stunning appearance that receives at least one love letter every day when she studies in the Ming Country. It also became the most direct reason for her being bullied and excluded by female classmates when she was twelve or thirteen years old.
She has been beautiful since childhood, and her academic performance is outstanding. She is talented in literature and martial arts, and is the perfect score younger sister that every older brother is willing to show off.
Bai Wei is no exception, he has one more sister and feels no strangeness in his heart.
He pushed away Yagyū Simozi's hand trying to probe him and said, "I'm fine."
The girl bit her lip, and even though she didn't mean to, the action still revealed a bit of coquetry that didn't match her age.
"If there is something wrong, you must speak up. It's all my fault that my brother got injured."
"I shouldn't have attended the training camp. If I hadn't been gone for three days…"
"I'm really foolish, truly…"
She started to nag and criticize herself again.
"Stop, stop, stop." Bai Wei couldn't bear it anymore. "It's enough, as a grown man, it's already embarrassing for me to ask for your protection."
"I don't mean it that way, brother, you are amazing too," she clumsily defended herself.
"I understand, I understand," Bai Wei thought of patting her head, but it was purely an unconscious gesture, and he quickly withdrew his hand.
Before he could retract his hand, Yagyū Simozi took the initiative to lean in closer, holding his hand against her cheek.
Bai Wei's heart skipped a beat.
…She really understood too well.
…Is this the so-called sibling understanding?
How can a virgin emperor, who has been so for half his life, be easily conquered? He quickly regained his composure and casually asked, "Sister, has the Yagyū family ever produced a general's bodyguard?"
Yagyū Simozi tilted her head in confusion, "No, I haven't heard of such a thing. The Yagyū clan's Mugen Shinmyō-ryū is said to have originated from the era of war and cannot be traced. Even during its peak of fame, it was not even one-tenth as famous as the Hokuto Shinken style, so how could it qualify to produce a general's bodyguard…"
"And now?"
"Brother," Yagyū Simozi rolled her eyes, "The current general is the figure of a distinguished and heroic spirit. How can he still need a bodyguard now?"
"Oh, really," Bai Wei deliberately acted dumb and responded, "Speaking of heroic spirits, you…"
"I'm not, I've said it many times," Yagyū Simozi lightly shook her head, "I participated in the Taishan Canonization of the Ming Country and the Taishan Fuzhun Sacrifice of Yingzhou, a total of two times. I didn't awaken, it's quite obvious I'm not a heroic spirit."
Bai Wei felt slightly relieved, it's good that she isn't a heroic spirit.
In that case, I have to consider running away with a bucket overnight. Your safety is not a problem, but I might disappear after sleeping for one night.
"Heroic spirits are not everything, if you were only a subordinate heroic spirit, it would actually affect your prospects, and the disadvantages would outweigh the benefits." Bai Wei's tone became a little serious, comforting his sister, "If you delve into the way of the sword, you may have the opportunity to become famous in the world in the future Imperial Swordsmanship Tournament."
After finishing, he noticed Yagyū Simozi slightly open her mouth, looking at him in surprise.
The girl blinked her eyes, and soon a layer of mist floated in her eyes. She rubbed her eyes, "My older brother never used to say these words to encourage me… I thought you really didn't want me to inherit the family's dojo."
… That is indeed not desired. Look at how your brother has been beaten up?
Bai Wei was much more mature than he used to be and immediately using emotionally intelligent language.
"It doesn't matter how I feel. What's important is how you feel. As a family member, all I can do is support you unconditionally, after all, the most important thing in life is learning not to regret."
"Brother!"
She excitedly jumped up, with her knee pressed on the bed, and her weight leaning forward, wanting to embrace him.
She missed.
Bai Wei lifted the blanket and got out of bed, his movements fluent as if he had already predicted her arrival.
Previously, he often relied on his walking skills to show off the witches of the Black Rose because once he hugged one, he had to hug a group. If someone became restless and made a little movement, there would immediately be someone coming to make up for it, like a child asking for candy, repeating endlessly.
Unfortunately, it has already been 500 years now, and the people from the past are most likely no longer with us…
"I am able to get out of bed and walk now, it's time for me to go back," said Bai Wei.
"Oh," the little girl climbed out of bed, reluctantly gritting her teeth.
"By the way, has the Sanada Group's mafia caused you any trouble?" asked Bai Wei.
"No, there isn't," Yagyū Simozi shook her head, "but I followed a familiar gangster who led me to the warehouse where you were located."
"What happened later?"
"I knocked him out and just left him there." Yagyū Simozi asked cautiously, "Shouldn't we report it to the police?"
"As long as no one dies, the police won't bother. The police in Yingzhou are too busy dealing with ronin and violent groups."
The gangster member was possibly the last survivor among the five in the warehouse. He went back alive alone. The Sanada Group will eventually notice something is wrong. It used to be just a conflict of interests, but now people are disappearing or dying. These violent groups won't give up easily and it's just a matter of time before they come looking for revenge.
He needed to heal his injuries quickly, and find some of the ancient imperial treasures he had hidden away in the past for self-preservation. Fortunately, he had a good habit of storing them in random places.
Bai Wei reached out her hand and touched Yagyū Simozi's hair, "You don't need to worry about this…"
After being emperor of the empire for eighteen years, can't he even manage to control a small criminal organization in a tiny country?
I don't think these gangsters have ever witnessed the extraordinary ability of imperial men.
