In the conversation between Toyotomi Nobuhide and the old monk just now, the two of them kept their voices down the whole time, so neither Hasegawa nor Isshiki Naoshu and others could hear the conversation clearly.

However, although he did not hear the conversation clearly, Hasegawa still vaguely heard some words.

He heard Toyotomi Nobuhide seem to call the old monk "Master"...

——Master...?

Hasegawa's brain was working rapidly at this moment.

"...In my impression, the abbot of Sengen Temple in Koyasan is an old monk who is respectfully called Sengen Master and has profound Buddhist teachings. Could it be that you...are Sengen Master?"

Hasegawa stared at the old monk's face and said every word.

"Huh?" The old monk raised his eyebrows and looked at Hasegawa, "...Yes, the poor monk is Master Xianyuan. It's really surprising. Mr. Hasegawa, you actually know me. Have we met before?

?”

"I have always remembered it..." Hasegawa gritted his teeth, "The reason why I am locked up here now... is because of your gift from Xianyuan Temple!"

Hasegawa felt that he might never forget how he ended up in the situation he was in today.

It was because Sengenji Temple in Koyasan reported to the government that Buddhist utensils in their temple were frequently stolen, and ordinary officials could not catch the culprits for a long time, so they dispatched the Huofu Thieves Gai, who are specifically responsible for catching arsonists and thieves.

After being caught by the Toyotomi clan, Hasegawa got confirmation from Nobuhide Toyotomi that the so-called stolen Buddhist utensils from Sengenji Temple were actually a carefully designed plan to capture Hasegawa and lure Hasegawa to Mount Koya

It's just fishing bait.

"You guy..." Hasegawa glared at Master Sengen fiercely, "As a monk, and a monk who is respectfully called 'Master' by the world, you actually collaborate with the thugs who are trying to overthrow the shogunate!"

"Do you still have any sense of self-consciousness and shame as a monk?!"

Hasegawa's tone was impassioned.

Facing this passionate criticism, Master Xianyuan looked at Hasegawa with indifferent eyes.

"Criticize me for not having the self-consciousness and shame of a monk..." Master Xianyuan sneered, "Well, Mr. Hasegawa, I want to ask you a question - what do you think the self-consciousness a monk should have? What should a monk have?

What is your shame?"

"Concentrate on worshiping Buddha with a compassionate heart and do not interfere in worldly affairs." Hasegawa replied without thinking.

"Ha." As soon as Hasegawa finished speaking, Master Xianyuan sneered again, "Your answer is exactly the same as what I expected."

"At present, the vast majority of people in the world are probably like you. They think that the duty of a monk is to concentrate on worshiping the Buddha and not to interfere in anything other than worshiping the Buddha."

Master Sengen slowly turned his head and asked Toyotomi Nobuhide beside him.

"Toyotomi-sama, may I tell Hasegawa-sama what the true duties of a monk are and why I want to join the Toyotomi Army??"

"Please." Toyotomi Nobuhide smiled and made a "please" gesture towards Master Sengen, "But be careful not to talk for too long."

"I understand." Master Xianyuan nodded, and then turned his gaze back to Hasegawa.

"Time is tight, so I'll keep it short."

"Mr. Hasegawa, let me tell you what the true duties of a monk are."

Master Xianyuan's tone suddenly rose a few degrees at this time.

"The true duty of a monk is to make as many people as possible believe in Buddhism."

"This is what we monks should do."

"I have spent most of my life preaching."

"But in the end, I found that the power of just one person or a temple is too weak."

"If we can get the full support of the government, we will be able to do twice the result with half the effort when we perform our true duties as monks."

"However - the Edo shogunate that currently rules Japan has no intention of letting people who worship Buddhism spread all over the world. Not only is it unwilling to do so, it also uses various methods to suppress Buddhism."

"On the other hand, Toyotomi-sama - he is willing to support Buddhism and spread Buddhism widely after rebuilding Toyotomi's world."

"It would be impossible for the Edo shogunate to change its mind and devote all its efforts to supporting Buddhism."

"So, I chose to stand with Toyotomi-sama. I chose to do my best to help the Toyotomi clan regain the throne of the 'people of the world', so that people who worship Buddhism can one day in the future, in the Toyotomi clan

With his help, it spreads all over the world.”

"So, Mr. Hasegawa, do you understand? I have not lost the self-consciousness and shame that a monk should have. Rather, it is the opposite - I am now fulfilling the duties of a monk more conscientiously than any other monk."

duty."

As soon as Master Xianyuan finished speaking, Hasegawa, who had already shown an expression of "I can't stand it anymore," suddenly put his hands on the railings of the cell and pressed his face against the gap between the railings.

"Ever since I became the commander who punished thieves and reformed them, I have heard all kinds of fallacies from many criminals who were unrepentant after being arrested."

"But this is the first time I have heard such outrageous and crazy things!"

"What crazy things were you saying just now!"

"Let me ask you - to you, as long as people who worship Buddhism can spread all over the world in the future, it doesn't matter even if the country falls into war and countless people are killed or injured?"

"Yeah. That's right." Master Xianyuan didn't even hesitate, and nodded directly, "The country is in war, and the people have suffered countless casualties. These are just short-term pains."

"If we can achieve the great cause of 'extensive spread of Buddhism', this little pain will not be worth mentioning at all."

Hasegawa had expected that Master Xianyuan would definitely come up with some lies.

But he didn't expect that Master Xianyuan's response could be so fast, with almost no hesitation or thinking.

He also didn't expect that Master Xianyuan's principles could be so crooked... Hasegawa couldn't help but froze in place due to shock.

At this time, Toyotomi Nobuhide, who had been silently listening to the audience, suddenly stretched out his right little finger and picked his ear.

"Master, it is too much to ask Mr. Hasegawa to understand your ambition and good intentions in a short period of time."

"Well." Master Xianyuan, with a hint of melancholy on his face, let out a silent sigh, "I have long been accustomed to this feeling that my ideals and ambitions are not understood by others."

"Okay, it's almost time. Come on, Master, you and Mr. Hasegawa have talked for long enough. It's time to go see my sister together."

"Well, okay. Toyotomi-sama."

"Let's go, Mr. Hasegawa." Toyotomi Nobuhide smiled elegantly and waved his hand towards Hasegawa, "I will come and talk to you next time when I have time."

After finishing speaking, Toyotomi Nobuhide put his hands behind his back and turned around to follow the corridor they came from just now and in the direction in which they came. Master Sengen followed closely behind Toyotomi Nobuhide step by step.

"Wait! Come back!"

Hasegawa roared and shook the bars of the cell vigorously, shaking off a lot of dust.

The two Toyotomi no longer paid attention to Hasegawa and continued walking outside the cell.

After the two of them walked to the place where Hasegawa's roar could no longer be heard, Master Sengen lowered his voice and whispered to Toyotomi Nobuhide:

"Lord Toyotomi, look at Mr. Hasegawa's appearance... According to this poor monk, it is not easy to surrender him..."

"Well... as expected." Toyotomi Nobuhide smiled, "He is a shogunate after all, and has a high status and reputation in the shogunate and among the people. He is far from those who have no fixed abode, no money and no fame.

The Ronin is comparable."

"If we want to persuade him to abandon the shogunate and switch to my side, Toyotomi, it will take a lot of time and a lot of effort."

"I'm afraid that after spending a lot of effort and time, Mr. Hasegawa is still stubborn and swears to be loyal to the shogunate." Master Xianyuan said silently.

"If, in the end, we still fail to convince Mr. Hasegawa..." Toyotomi Nobuhide's face slowly showed an intriguing color, "Then...it would be such a pity. We couldn't let such a person who is good at training soldiers...

Precious talents become our companions."

After this brief conversation, Toyotomi Nobuhide and Master Sengen stopped talking.

The two of them were silent and walked quickly along the dim path.

After crossing countless avenues and paths and turning countless corners, the two of them finally stopped.

They stopped in front of a cell.

This is a unique cell, mainly unique in two places -

1: The outside of this cell was heavily guarded. Eight musketeers armed with flintlock rifles stood solemnly outside the cell door, guarding the cell. These eight musketeers were watching Feng.

After Chen Xinxiu and Master Xianyuan came, they immediately bowed and saluted them.

Two: This cell is extremely luxurious.

The space is quite spacious, even if there are 6 people living there, it will not feel crowded at all.

There are tatami mats on the floor of the cell, and daily necessities such as bedding and toilet bowls are placed in the corners of the cell. Everything in the cell is brand new, and the tatami mats on the floor even exude the fragrance of straw.

Such a luxurious and spacious cell has only one inhabitant.

A young girl was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, and snoring faintly.

Looking at the girl in the cell, Toyotomi Nobuhide's eyes softened instantly.

"Xiao Lin... long time no see..."

Toyotomi Nobuhide released his hands that had been behind his back just now, and as if he was going to caress the girl's cheek, he stretched his hands in front of him, and placed his fingers gently on the cell railing that separated him from the girl.

"Last night, after the musketeers of Division 16 successfully captured Miss Toyotomi alive, they immediately followed your order and sent her to Mount Koya without stopping."

Master Xianyuan on the side replied slowly and respectfully.

"Because Ms. Toyotomi struggled continuously after being arrested, trying to get out of trouble, so in order to avoid an accident, the 16th team used the drug that you allowed to use on Ms. Toyotomi to make people sleep soundly."
To be continued...