"Dragon's Homecoming Dew?"
Gazing at the small, dark mud ball in his hand, which emitted a faint blue light, Chun Hei's mind stirred. The mud ball instantly disintegrated into fine dust, scattering in all directions.
[All Dragon Cough patients have been cured.]
Chun Hei turned to look at the Buddhist hall. The coughing had stopped.
A sense of relief washed over him, albeit temporary.
Chun Hei knew that as the game progressed, he would continue to die.
As long as the wolf, possessing the power of immortality, kept dying, the Dragon Cough would never disappear.
After finishing his conversation with Miss Yong Zhen, Chun Hei gained a new understanding of Sekiro's worldview.
"Let me organize our thoughts."
While traveling to a new map, Chun Hei briefly summarized for his viewers. "First, Wolf and the Divine Child must have known each other very early on. Then, three years ago, Lady Butterfly sought immortality and colluded with bandits to slaughter the Divine Child's home. Wolf intervened and rescued the Divine Child who was about to be abducted.
"Unfortunately, someone ambushed Wolf. After Wolf defeated Phantom Butterfly, he was killed. Later, the Divine Child used his bloodline containing the Dragon's Homecoming power to sign a contract with Wolf, granting Wolf the power of immortality. However, this power spreads a peculiar illness called Dragon Cough throughout the land.
"Dragon's Homecoming Dew can cure Dragon Cough, but it's only a temporary fix. The Divine Child's bloodline containing the Dragon's Homecoming power became known to many, most notably the 'Scum Ichiro.' The Divine Child was abducted by him at the beginning. Now that our equipment and combat skills have greatly improved, it's time to head into the castle to search for the Divine Child's whereabouts."
[Ashina Castle Main Gate]
Having spoken, Chun Hei arrived at the steps of Ashina Castle's main gate.
"My friend, I've been waiting for you."
Beside him stood a merchant carrying a gourd. "I used the money you gave me to acquire goods. Come, buy something."
Chun Hei bought some gourd seeds and firecrackers from the merchant. After the purchase, the young merchant continued, "Speaking of which, my friend, let me tell you, I want to expand my business a bit."
"Who knows when this Ashina Castle will fall... To put it bluntly, it's like a sinking ship. As the saying goes, the bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish, and this is a good opportunity to turn things around."
"So, I have a favor to ask of you."
"What is it?" Chun Hei asked. This dark-skinned peddler was someone he had met before. Giving the peddler a little money would lead to him bringing back equipment he wouldn't normally encounter, feeling like an angel investor.
"Can you help me find out what the Ashina samurai want these days?" the peddler asked. "If I know what they want, I can do business with the Ashina samurai."
"You're a martial artist yourself, my friend. You should have ears to the ground for collecting this kind of information. Please, I'm counting on you."
"Good heavens."
Chun Hei exclaimed, "So this guy is also a shrewd businessman! It seems giving him that bit of money when he first asked was a very correct choice."
Chun Hei had a premonition that this guy might be of great help to him later on.
Otherwise, the designer wouldn't have spent so much effort on a mere peddler.
After clearing out some minor enemies along the way, Chun Hei stealthily approached a courtyard.
"...Lord Isshin is already gravely ill, isn't he."
Suddenly, the conversation between two guards in a corner caught Chun Hei's attention. "Indeed... even with Lord Genichiro, the Ashina country might not hold on for much longer."
What?
Chun Hei was slightly taken aback. Isshin was failing, and Genichiro couldn't hold on? Was that why they captured the Divine Child?
To extend Isshin's life?
Or did Genichiro himself desire immortality?
He had to speed things up!
Easily dispatching the two babbling grunts, Chun Hei climbed over the fence and entered a large courtyard.
If he hadn't undergone the trial of Phantom Butterfly three years ago, he might have had a tougher time against the elite enemy, General Tenzen Yamauchi, on horseback. But the situation was different now.
Chun Hei defeated the mounted General Tenzen Yamauchi using only one life.
Then, Chun Hei ascended a staircase into a small room, where a mysterious figure clad in a straw cape and a Tengu mask caught his eye.
The main reason was that this person was too tall; even while sitting, he was almost as tall as Wolf.
The mysterious figure had his back to Chun Hei, with a head of silver-white hair falling to the ground. The exposed neck was wrinkled, clearly indicating he was an elderly man.
"Another rat has arrived... Hahaha."
Before Chun Hei could approach, the mysterious old man's hearty laughter resounded. His senses were incredibly sharp, especially considering Wolf was currently in stealth.
Chun Hei immediately heightened his vigilance, his hand hovering over his sword hilt, ready to draw at any moment.
"No, that gaze... Is that a hungry wolf?"
The old man stood up, directly half a meter taller than Wolf. Chun Hei could only see a little above his waist when looking straight ahead. To see the old man's face, he had to look up.
The mysterious old man had a very long arm span. His arms were thin but had lean, well-defined muscles, with no excess fat, indicating exceptional explosive power.
The calluses on the webbing of his hand where he gripped his sword were thick, clearly showing his profound swordsmanship.
"Before we fight, let me at least ask who you are," the mysterious old man commanded. "State your name!"
"......"
Pressure!
Deep, crushing pressure!
It wasn't just the pressure from the height difference, but more so an intangible "aura"!
This formidable presence made Chun Hei unable to open his eyes to look directly at the mysterious old man, let alone speak.
This brought much clarity to Chun Hei, who had been immersed in the thrill of killing. He could now be certain that if he were to face this elder, he wouldn't last two rounds.
The gap was too immense!
"Hahaha... You can't tell me your name, can you?" The old man released his imposing aura, returning to a more amiable demeanor. "Most of you are like this, dying without revealing your name."
"However..."
He looked down at the prosthetic arm on Wolf's left arm, his voice filled with nostalgia. "Your prosthetic arm is truly nostalgic."
"......Ugh... Hahahaha!"
The old man laughed heartily and casually sheathed his sword. "I see, a one-armed wolf! I like it!"
"Then..."
"—Wolf—"
Chun Hei remained silent throughout. The old man continued speaking on his own. "I shall call you this."
Upon hearing this, Chun Hei's eyes lit up!
Good heavens, he's directly hit the nail on the head.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – Wolf, revives once in combat and has two lives.
"Who... are you?"
At this moment, Wolf, who had been silent, finally spoke for the first time.
"Hahaha, I am the Tengu of Ashina," the old man replied with a smile, then becoming serious. "Hey, Wolf!"
"Do you want to hunt rats too?"
"Rats?"
"Rats have infiltrated Ashina, swarming everywhere and causing havoc." A sharp killing intent shot from the old man's eyes. "Though rats may differ... I shall hunt them down, one by one!"
The mysterious old man exuded dominance. Chun Hei firmly believed he possessed absolute strength and confidence.
"It seems you also possess the skill to slay men. This should help you hone your technique. What do you say, Wolf! Want to hunt rats?"
[Accept/Reject]
It wasn't until the prompt appeared that Chun Hei realized this was an optional quest. The identity of the old man before him was undoubtedly extraordinary, perhaps even...
The old man, with a robust physique and exceptional swordsmanship, who else could it be? But didn't those two guards say he was gravely ill?
Could it be that the ones he had just killed were the rats?
After a moment of hesitation, Chun Hei readily accepted this rat-hunting mission. If it was *that* person, it implied there would be some sword skill reward.
"Good!"
The mysterious old man handed Wolf a map. "Then, Wolf, take this."
...