My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 41: Chapter 27: A Troublesome Case

The words of the bearded man made Aoto and Chokata both freeze.

Mukiura Town—a Castle Town not far from here, is also one of the jurisdictions Aoto is responsible for.

It also happens to be the next Castle Town that Aoto planned to inspect after lunch.

A murder case in his jurisdiction? This is not something one can just ignore.

He paid no further attention to Chokata.

Aoto hesitated only for a moment, then quickly focused his gaze, stood up swiftly, and walked quickly towards the bearded man.

”Good day. I am a Dōshin of the North Station Town Patrol.” From beneath his wine-red feathered robe, he revealed the jitte and seal cage at his right waist, and Aoto went straight to the point, ”The death you mentioned in Mukiura Town, what is it about?”

Aoto suddenly appeared beside them, startling the bearded man and the others.

Looking at the jitte at Aoto’s waist and the seal cage that only Garrison Officials were allowed to wear, the bearded man swallowed hard.

”Specifically... I’m not sure either. I just heard that an old lady in Mukiura Town has been killed at her own home. When I rushed over to take a look, the Jishinban folks had already sealed off the scene, and I couldn’t see anything.”

Seeing that the bearded man did not know much, Aoto frowned slightly, thanked him for his help, and returned to Chokata.

”Mr. Chokata, it seems something has happened next door in Mukiura Town. I must go first.” Aoto took out money for tea and placed it on the table.

”Mr. Tachibana...” Chokata seemed to want to say something to Aoto.

But he barely managed to say ”Mr. Tachibana” before Aoto hurriedly rushed out of the tea house...

...

...

Aoto originally intended to first go to the Jishinban in Mukiura Town to inquire from the Patriarch and others managing the town about ”what exactly happened” and ”where the crime scene was”.

But upon arriving, Aoto found—there seemed to be no need for this at all.

As soon as he entered Mukiura Town, Aoto immediately saw countless groups of people, displaying various expressions, converging in a certain direction on the street.

Amidst the murmurs, Aoto vaguely heard these people seemingly heading somewhere saying:

”Hey... Did you hear Granny Ping was killed, is it true?”

”It seems true...”

”Come on, let’s go see the commotion!”

Aoto, with a slightly sinking expression, followed the crowd through three boulevards, two alleys, turning corner after corner, finally—stopping in front of an ordinary residential house surrounded by a large crowd.

Looking at the tightly packed crowd surrounding the ordinary house, Aoto couldn’t help but let out a low exclamation.

——Why are there so many people...

A rough count by Aoto—there were at least over a hundred people in the crowd surrounding the ordinary house.

Among these people, some were on tiptoe, craning their necks, continuing to cast curious glances toward the house.

Quite a few others wore expressions of grief, some silently shedding tears, and even some crying loudly, sprawled on the ground.

Between the crowd and the house stood a human wall—created by the clerks of the Jishinban managing the town.

They held their staffs horizontally in front, connecting one by one, forming an invisible wall that kept the crowd outside, preventing anyone from approaching the house.

”Make way, everyone!” Aoto shouted at the crowd blocking his path, ”I am a Dōshin of the North Station Town Patrol! Please make way!”

”Ah! It’s the Dōshin coming!”

”It’s the Dōshin of the Town Patrol coming!”

”Hey! Don’t push!”

...

As soon as Aoto’s shout landed, the crowd blocking his path immediately noisily parted left and right, creating a passage wide enough for Aoto to walk through.

Knowing it was the Town Patrol’s Dōshin who had arrived, a middle-aged man quickly separated from the ”human wall” preventing the crowd from reaching the house and greeted Aoto along the path opened by the crowd.

Upon hearing that it was the Dōshin coming, the middle-aged man’s face instantly filled with a fawning smile.

But upon seeing that the Dōshin arriving was Aoto, his fawning smile froze for a moment.

A hint of disdain flashed in his eyes...

But he quickly concealed this disdain and adjusted his expression.

”Lord Tachibana!” The middle-aged man rushed to Aoto’s side, bowing respectfully, ”I am the Patriarch managing Mukiura Town: Hui Dalang.”

Mukiura Town is one of the jurisdictions Aoto is responsible for.

In terms of hierarchy, Aoto is undeniably Hui Dalang’s direct superior, so Hui Dalang naturally knew Aoto.

Being the Patriarch managing Mukiura Town saved trouble.

After a simple greeting with Hui Dalang, Aoto went straight to the point—

”I heard there has been a murder case here.” Aoto said solemnly, ”What exactly happened?”

Being questioned by his direct superior, Hui Dalang had no reason or courage not to answer.

”Alas...” Hui Dalang sighed heavily, ”Where should I begin...”

...

...

The owners of this house where the murder occurred, currently surrounded by crowds, are an old couple named Kotaro and Aping.

Speaking of Kotaro and Aping, these two names are well-known in Mukiura Town and the surrounding Castle Towns.

Many reverently referred to this couple as the ”Bodhisattva couple”.

People called Kotaro a ”Living Bodhisattva” whose medical skills and ethics were impeccable.

In the Edo Era, being a doctor was considered a prestigious occupation.

Not only was the social status high, but also, with excellent medical skills, the income was quite substantial.

Kotaro had such remarkable medical skills that, in theory, he could solely rely on treating wealthy patients to make a fortune.

But he did not do so.

He always focused on treating the poor and often charged low fees or even treated them for free.

His wife, Aping, was an excellent supportive spouse, wholeheartedly endorsing her husband’s altruistic but ”foolish” business.

Though Kotaro’s behavior of not making money and often losing money to help others seemed extremely foolish at first glance, his foolish actions were not without any reward.

The couple practiced medicine for decades, and countless people benefited from their kindness.

Numerous people respected and adored the couple.

About two months ago, Kotaro passed away peacefully at the age of 75.

The couple never had children, so after Kotaro’s passing, only 65-year-old Granny Ping remained in the house, still relatively robust despite her age.

Out of affection for Granny Ping, the younger ones who knew her started affectionately calling her ”Granny Ping” as she aged.

With savings accumulated over decades and occasional financial support from those who had been helped by the couple, Granny Ping’s life has been peaceful except for occasional loneliness in the two months following her husband’s passing.

But unexpectedly... tragedy occurred today.

Granny Ping had a highly stable routine, waking up at 6 every morning, and going for a walk at 8.

But today, her neighbors were surprised to find—Granny Ping did not go for her walk...

At first, the neighbors weren’t too concerned, thinking Granny Ping was just being lazy for once, as similar situations had occurred before when Granny Ping went for her walk one or two hours late.

But as the sun was nearly at the highest point in the sky and Granny Ping was still nowhere to be seen, the neighbors gradually sensed something amiss...

With an ominous feeling, the neighbors called out Granny Ping’s name at her front door.

No response...

The ominous feeling quickly peaked as the neighbors rushed to open Granny Ping’s door and entered the house.

Upon entering, they saw in the living room... Granny Ping, stabbed to death on the tatami, eyes wide open in death...

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