Chapter 8

One evening in October 1859 (the sixth year of Ansei), Bigo and Shinshin sat by a stream, drinking. "There's something wrong with the times and people's hearts," Bigo sighed deeply. "In this turbulent era, even great power can't stop the tide of history." Shinshin had no good solutions for the times either; no matter how strong an individual was, they couldn't change the era.

In the pitch-black night, a group of human traffickers was secretly transporting a batch of goods, which were, of course, the women and children they had kidnapped. Among them was a red-haired boy under ten years old, the protagonist of Rurouni Kenshin—Kenshin Himura. No, at this point, he should still be called Himura Shinta. At this time, Shinta was in a dire situation, having lost his parents to an epidemic and been kidnapped by human traffickers. For a child, these events were too cruel, but fortunately, there were a few girls among the traffickers' goods who cared for Shinta. If things had continued, Shinta might have been sold to places that needed child labor, and after being drained of his last drop of blood and sweat, he would have been buried in the ground, unknown to anyone.

But a group of bandits' black-on-black behavior changed everything. These bandits were well-equipped, and the traffickers were like moving targets, being continuously cut down. The bandits were only after money, and they didn't care about anything else, whether it was men, women, or even ordinary children. For a moment, the ground was drenched in the stench of blood.

Shinta and the few girls were lucky enough not to be killed immediately, but when the bandits were clearing the battlefield, Shinta and the others couldn't escape. The few girls who were with Shinta threw themselves in front of him to block the knives, trying to get the bandits to spare the young Shinta.

"Shinta... Shinta, you are still young and cannot choose your way of life like us. So you cannot die now; you must live on... live on and choose your own path, live on for those who have died..." The last girl who blocked the knife for Shinta gasped out her last words, but the bandit leader had no patience to wait. He grabbed the girl's hair, pulled her up, and stabbed her in the neck.

The girl's pupils instantly dilated, and her will to live made her grip the cold blade of the katana tightly, but she was still just a human. How could she survive with her throat pierced? After the bandit pulled out the knife, she fell heavily to the ground, her lifeless eyes still looking at Shinta: "Shinta... live... live on... for me..."

The bandit leader then stabbed the girl in the left chest, severely injuring her heart. This time, she didn't wake up. After killing the girl, the bandit leader walked up to Shinta and raised his knife. Just as he was about to strike, a series of惨叫声从背后传来。回头一看，只见空中闪过数十道幽蓝色的光芒，除了 bandit leader, all other bandits were cut into dozens of pieces in just a few seconds. The only ones standing were Bigo Kiyoshi and Shinshin, both wearing white and light blue cloaks.

"Who are you?" the bandit leader asked in terror.

"Does it matter to a man who is about to die?" Bigo slowly approached the bandit leader.

Driven by fear, the bandit leader made a last-ditch effort, swinging his long sword at Bigo Kiyoshi. But before the sword could reach the top of his head, seven sword beams had already flashed across the bandit's body, severing his head, limbs, and torso.

Under the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Dragon Nest Flash, the bandits were cut down like straw. On Shinshin's side, several bandits tried to avenge their leader, but the sword light of Kikyo Sen and Sanjumaru mercilessly cut through their bodies. In a few seconds, only a pile of severed limbs remained, telling the story of the battle that had taken place.

The clouds that had obscured the moon dispersed, and Bigo and Shinshin wiped their swords with the cloths in their hands. "I happened to pass by here, and it's a kind of fate. I've avenged you, and no matter how much pain you feel, the dead cannot be brought back to life. It's fortunate that you survived." With that, Bigo Kiyoshi and Shinshin left the place. 'Such things are common. The smell of blood and the fragrance of white plum blossoms rising from the ground, being killed by bandits like a dog, or being sold by human traffickers, are all unfortunate. Yes, such things are common...'

As the sun rose, Bigo carried his sake and walked down the path with Shinshin. 'Even if I follow the principles of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu and wield my sword for justice, sometimes I can't save anyone. The only thing I can do is to bury the victims properly.' Bigo returned to the place where he had killed the bandits, and his eyes suddenly widened. In the morning light, dozens of wooden crosses were planted in the blood-soaked ground, and all the dead were buried in the earth. In the center of this cemetery, the young Shinta stood before three small mounds, silently watching them.

"Did you bury not only your parents but also the bandits' bodies?" Bigo and Shinshin approached Shinta.

"Not my parents, but the human traffickers. My parents died of cholera last year. But whether they were bandits or human traffickers, they are just bodies after death."

"What are the three stones for?" Bigo asked, noticing the different graves.

"Saya-nee, Akane-nee, and Sakura-nee. We only met for a day, but because I was the only boy, I planned to protect them at the cost of my life. But they protected me, begging the bandits to spare me because I was a child. So, I wanted to at least find some good stones to make their graves, but there were only these stones, and not even any flowers..."

After hearing Shinta's words, Bigo twisted the cap off the sake bottle in his hand and slowly poured the sake over the three graves. "Dying without even a taste of good sake, how pitiful. This is my offering to them."

"Thank you, please..." Shinta immediately expressed his gratitude to Bigo.

"My name is Bigo Kiyoshi, and I know a bit of swordsmanship."

"Sword?" Shinta asked.

"Child, you couldn't protect the irreplaceable ones, and now you bear the lives of three people. Your small hands know how heavy their bodies were. But the lives you bear are even heavier; they have become your responsibility. You must learn to support your beliefs and gain the strength to protect others, to live on and protect the important people..."

"To protect the important people..." Shinta pondered.

"Child, what is your name?"

"Shinta."

"Too weak, not suitable for a swordsman's name. From today, you will be called Kenshin." Bigo said.

"Kenshin..."

"I will teach you my ultimate technique..."

"Sure... I'll take this disciple as well, Bigo." Shinshin also decided to teach Kenshin part of his Yuki Tenken-ryu, at least to give him a powerful long-range technique.

Under the blood-stained sunlight, the three figures were stretched long, very long...

"The contractor has completed the era task, 'Shinta, Kenshin, the Beginning of Destiny.' Earned 200 Heart Coins. The contractor, out of compassion, took Kenshin as a disciple, earning an additional 500 Heart Coins (Compassion Heart LV1: 100 Heart Coins, Taking Kenshin as a disciple: 400 Heart Coins)."

"The contractor now has 800 Heart Coins."

"Physical condition as follows:"

"Rurouni Kenshin World"

"Name: Tendou Shinshin"

"Gender: Male"

"Physical Attributes: Approximately seven times that of an average person."

"Strength: 72 (10) - Affects burst strength, pure strength, and strength beyond limits."

"Agility: 78 (10) - Affects speed, reaction time, and intuition."

"Stamina: 73 (10) - Affects endurance, recovery speed, and the ability to withstand certain techniques."

"Skills: Yuki Tenken-ryu Swordsmanship"

"Acquired Heart Powers:"

"Killing Heart LV1: Does not waver in most situations when killing others, has some resistance to certain illusions, and gains a small amount of recovery from killing."

"Compassion Heart LV1: A necessary heart for a strong person, has some resistance to certain illusions, and gains a small amount of recovery from helping others."

"Other powers not yet activated."

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