Knife splashing

Chapter 728 New Era

The oil lamp flickered, and the air inside the dilapidated house was so gloomy it seemed to drip water.

Yu Yiyuan sat on the broken wooden table, attending to the coffin, without saying a word, only gently stroking the ancient sword at her waist.

His face was gloomy, and his eyes were full of murderous intent as he looked at You Er.

Clang!
A Japanese swordsman suddenly drew his sword.

He moved with lightning speed, and before the sound of his sword had faded, he appeared behind "You Er," his sharp blade pressed against his neck.

With just a light swipe, one can take their life.

"You lowly scoundrel who defied his superiors, I'll kill you first!"

Feeling the chill on his neck, Yu Er remained unfazed and said with a forced smile, "Lord Sanada, if you wanted to kill, you wouldn't have waited until now. Just say so. This... seems very impolite."

"Be bold!"

The samurai named Sanada was furious, but still did not make a move.

Not wanting, but not dare.

Their original purpose in infiltrating China was to gather intelligence on the court's attitude towards Goryeo, but they unexpectedly encountered the academy releasing steam engines, which aroused their greed, and they wanted to take back the blueprints.

The reason for taking such a risk was entirely due to the domestic situation.

But precisely because of this, they have fallen into a dilemma.

"Sanada, step back!"

Yu Yiyuan, who was serving the coffin above, suddenly spoke. After the samurai angrily sheathed his sword, she said in a deep voice, "Inoue, I want to know when you were bribed by Zhao Qingxu, and whether you had set up a trap from the beginning?"

"You've misunderstood, sir."

"You Er" bowed slightly, a smile on his face, but his eyes were full of malice. "I didn't intend to do this, but I was forced by you, sir."

"You want me to steal the blueprints? Don't you even consider the situation in the city right now? The academy is under everyone's watchful eye. How could I possibly do that?"

"Just then, a secret letter arrived from within the country: His Highness had been executed, and your families had either surrendered or died, their escape routes cut off."

“I know that if I hand this secret letter to you, whether I stay or leave, the master will immediately kill me to prevent future troubles.”

"And those children you ate, if I had done it in the capital, it would have attracted attention. I had to spend a lot of money to get them from other places. All the money I've saved up over the years has been eaten up by you in a short time!"

At this point, his face was filled with resentment and malice.

“You just kept giving orders and never thought you would drive me to the brink. Fortunately, although Master Zhao was hiding his tracks, he knew the situation in the city very well and took the initiative to come to me. He was the one who gave me the information.”

"Hmph, if you were me, would you even have a choice?"

"(ばか)bastard!"

"(Kill) I'll kill you!"

The swordsmen and ronin around them, their eyes filled with murderous intent, drew their weapons.

Yu Yiyuan, who was holding the coffin, raised her hand to calm everyone down. Then she slowly stood up and said calmly, "Since that's the case, let's not talk about this anymore. What exactly does Zhao Qingxu want to do, and what can we gain from it?"

"Lord Dharma Master."

You Er stepped forward and respectfully cupped his hands, saying, "Immortal Zhao only wants to ask you for a favor. The entire capital is looking for you. You just need to hide carefully and occasionally show yourselves and make a commotion. Whether it's a hiding place or an infant, Immortal Zhao will provide it."

"The court must have assumed that you would leave by sea, but the Immortal Master has made arrangements. After the matter is accomplished, he will arrange for you to leave from the north and head to Goryeo. There is a hundred-man team hidden in Baekdu Mountain, which will be given to the Dharma Master."

"Toyotomi Hideyoshi, that monkey, is old and won't live much longer. The immortal said that the others in the 'Hyakki-za' have long been dissatisfied. When the Dharma Master gathers them, he may very well be able to accomplish something great!"

Yu Yiyuan gently stroked the sword hilt as she attended to the coffin. "It's fine."

You Er was overjoyed and quickly bowed and clasped his hands in greeting. “Master, the people of the Da Xuan Law Enforcement Hall are chasing us everywhere. The leader of the Cao Gang has also made a move. He is a half-step Grandmaster. This place is no longer safe. Please come with me.”

Upon hearing his words, all the wandering swordsmen looked at Yu Yiyuan, who was serving at the coffin.

After being scammed once, they were no longer sure if it was a trap.

"Your Majesty, time is of the essence."

You Er quickly bowed and said, "Hong Zhenyue of the Cao Gang is no pushover. Cao Gang disciples are scattered all over the place, and there are also those people from the Enforcement Hall. With their tracking skills, they should be here soon."

"Let's go."

Yu Yiyuan, who was serving at the coffin, finally spoke, her voice icy, "If you try anything funny along the way, I won't let you off."

"Don't dare."

You Er secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his face full of respect, and turned to lead the way.

The night was as dark as ink, a natural curtain.

Led by You Er, the group moved like ghosts down the mass grave, taking secluded paths at breakneck speed.

They walked through abandoned fields and sparse woodlands outside the city, with the occasional bark of a dog coming from a distant village.

Although there was no one around, everyone had extraordinary spiritual senses and felt a heavy pressure on their backs.

They knew that the pursuers were probably nearby.

About half an hour later, the official road ahead could be vaguely seen.

Right there in the shadow of the woods beside the bend, a row of large trucks covered with heavy tarpaulins were parked quietly.

The air was filled with the dry, distinctive smell of hay and rice.

"Stop, this is it."

You Er lowered his voice and pointed ahead, "We mixed some ingredients into the food to evade the tracking of spirit beasts."

After saying that, he walked to the side of the carriage and gently knocked on the carriage shaft three times.

Almost simultaneously, a corner of the tarpaulin at the rear of the vehicle was lifted, revealing two silent and wary faces.

They were a few local porters, with ordinary appearances, but they had a peculiar smell of smoke on them. When they saw this group of Japanese, their faces remained calm and indifferent.

They nodded to You Er without saying a word.

Smelling the stench emanating from the haystacks, Yu Yiyuan's eyes flashed with disgust, but she still raised her hand to signal her subordinates to quickly climb onto the grain carts and endure the rice scraps as they squeezed into the gaps between the sacks.

Yu Yiyuan was the last to board the coffin, and her movements were so light and nimble that she made no sound.

Before crawling into the grain sack, his icy gaze swept over the porters as if it were a physical presence.

These people, however, simply put down the oilcloth blankly, as if nothing had happened.

"Lord Dharma, it's a longevity drug..."

A ronin whispered a reminder.

Yu Yiyuan, who was serving at the coffin, immediately understood and became even more curious.

These people are clearly Zhao Qingxu's undercover agents.

According to the intelligence, Zhao Qingxu had cut off all leads, but unexpectedly, there was still one hidden.

The space inside the grain sacks was cramped and stuffy, filled with the smell of dust and grain.

Rumble!
In the distance, the sound of horses' hooves pounding the ground echoed along the official road.

They were the elite patrol officers from the Commandery and the Enforcement Hall.

Judging from the noise, they were heading towards the mass grave.

Yu Yiyuan, who was tending the coffin, also breathed a sigh of relief.

He made the right gamble. If he had killed You Er earlier, he would have had a hard time surviving the waves of experts from the Enforcement Hall. Now he could only take it one step at a time.

After an unknown amount of time of bumping and jolting, the vehicle slowed down.

The outside was bustling with noise, but before we knew it, dawn was breaking, and we arrived at the city gate.

The people in the convoy seemed to be very familiar with the gatekeeper, and they entered the city without much inspection.

After an unknown amount of time, the carriage finally came to a stop.

The tarpaulin was lifted again, revealing the same few porters with blank stares. They were told to get off the vehicle.

The group emerged from the grain sacks, brushing the grass clippings and dust off their bodies.

Looking around, one is greeted by a rather spacious courtyard.

The courtyard is paved with blue bricks, and surrounded by gray-tiled and white-walled houses reminiscent of southern water towns. However, the building standing at the far end of the courtyard seems out of place.

It is clearly a church in the Western style.

Yu Yiyuan frowned slightly as she attended to the coffin, and coldly snorted, "A church of the red-haired barbarians?"

He was no stranger to churches.

In recent decades, many foreigners have traveled to Japan to preach, especially in Kyushu. In the territories of daimyo such as Bungo and Hizen provinces, they would exchange permission to preach for goods such as raw silk and firearms.

These daimyo even donated Nagasaki to the administration of Western-style churches.

Therefore, in a short period of time, the number of believers covered various social classes, including warriors, merchants, and farmers, reaching nearly 300,000.

When there are too many people, chaos will ensue, and because of his missionary work, he has been rejected by Buddhism and Shinto.

Later, after Toyotomi Hideyoshi conquered Kyushu, he issued a decree prohibiting missionaries from entering the country and requiring them to leave within twenty days. This was at their instigation. The two sides even fought a magical duel on the beach, resulting in the deaths of many believers and missionaries.

Speaking of which, they're old rivals.

"Dharma Master, don't worry."

Upon seeing this, “You Er” quickly explained, “This church was built under the supervision of Matteo Ricci. He made contributions to the Da Xuan court. In addition, this place is a gathering place for foreign merchants. It was checked recently and is now very safe.”

"Well, let's go."

Yu Yiyuan nodded slightly as she attended to the coffin, signaling her subordinates to be on high alert.

The group entered through the side gate in the backyard.

As soon as they passed through the wooden door and entered the church, Yu Yiyuan, who was attending to the coffin, noticed something was wrong.

He was quite familiar with the style of these churches.

On the Romanesque facade, the places where stained glass windows should have been set up are now hastily sealed off with thick wooden boards and oiled paper, exuding a gloomy atmosphere, and there are also several wooden frames tied with straw ropes.

The hall's interior space is high and spacious, indeed laid out in the Latin cross style of a Catholic church, but it exudes an eerie atmosphere.

On the thick wooden pillars supporting the dome, the mottled and peeling painted decorations are still faintly discernible, seemingly depicting biblical stories such as Noah's Ark and the Last Supper. However, the faces of the figures have mostly been deliberately carved away with knives.

There were quite a few people inside wearing priest robes.

Some were from the vassal states, but most were local men, all with empty, numb eyes.

They showed no reaction when they saw You Er and the others.

The church was very dark, with the only source of light being the tall bronze candlesticks on either side of the altar.

But the candlelight was dim, as if suppressed by some force.

As You Er made a gesture, a figure dressed in strange clothes slowly emerged from the shadows and approached them.

The man was thin and wore a strangely styled, faded long gown.

The long gown was a common Confucian robe, but it was more fitted at the waist, and the collar was tied with a belt instead of frog buttons. Most strikingly, the long gown was covered by a faded black velvet short vest, which was the attire of a Western priest.

Such a strange mix is ​​not unusual in China.

In the early days of missionary work, Matteo Ricci and other missionaries emphasized adapting to local customs to reduce hostility.

Even their clothing changed accordingly, and they gradually integrated into the gentry class.

This attire has become a common sight among missionaries in China.

The newcomer was a middle-aged red-haired barbarian with a haggard face, sunken eyes, and prominent cheekbones.

He bowed slightly to Yu Yiyuan and the others attending the coffin, and said in a dry voice, "I am Lollipop, and I am here on the orders of the Lord and his faithful servant, Father Zhao, to welcome you, my esteemed guests. May God's abode protect you."

Western missionaries who preach in China usually adopt a Chinese surname.

Looking at the person's appearance, Yu Yiyuan, who was serving at the coffin, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine and looked up sharply.

Behind the altar, on the wall, a huge stone-carved crucifix still stood, but the face of the statue had been roughly flattened and replaced with a layer of red cloth covered with strange black runes.

buzz~
Yu Yiyuan's ancient sword, which she was holding at the coffin, trembled slightly, and he quickly pressed it down.

This is the legacy of his family. The ancient sword "Moon Coffin" seals Yu Yiyuan's demonic soul and can perform the sinister secret technique "Frostfall Child" to manipulate children's souls. This is also the reason why they are called the "Hyakki-za".

And now, the demonic soul of Yu Yiyuan inside is actually afraid!
Yu Yiyuan felt a chill run down her spine as she stood by the coffin, and asked coldly, "What... happened here?"

"Dharma Master..."

You Er's voice trembled slightly, seemingly a mixture of excitement and fear.

"Master Zhao's power is far beyond your imagination."

"Be sensible and don't ask anything. You'll be paid afterwards."

The Japanese looked at each other, feeling a chill in their hearts, but since things had come to this, they could only follow the strange priest into the secret chamber below the church.

This is where wine is stored, with layers upon layers of wooden barrels, resembling a maze.

The good thing is that the priests had already prepared a sumptuous feast.

There was also a wooden basket covered with a floral cloth, from which one could faintly hear a child humming.

These Japanese samurai and swordsmen, who were already starving, immediately began to eat and drink heartily.

After a satisfying meal, worries resurfaced in my mind.

"Dharma Master."

The swordsman named Sanada said with a worried expression, "Something is very wrong with this place."

"Ah."

Yu Yiyuan slowly rose from her coffin, her mouth smeared with blood. She casually tossed aside the basket in her hand and subconsciously placed it on the ancient sword "Moon Coffin" at her waist. She looked up, her eyes flashing red light.

"That Zhao Qingxu is probably a powerful demon; we shouldn't act rashly..."

…………

Thanks to You Er's help, Yu Yiyuan, Shi Guan, and the others were able to escape.

The Commandant's Office and the Enforcement Hall lost track of their men, and Luo Mingzi and the others were severely reprimanded.

But many things will not stop because of these lurking villains.

After fierce competition, the list was finally finalized, and the academy finally ushered in the time for enrollment.

Two days later, as dawn broke, a thin mist enveloped the area.

The central square of Qiankun Academy, built according to the "round sky and square earth" pattern, was already bustling with people.

Today is an auspicious day for the official opening of the academy.

The first batch of selected disciples from the "Physical Investigation" and "Mystic Engineering" departments gathered here.

Although these disciples wore uniformly issued indigo coarse cloth robes, they were clearly different from each other.

Some of them had blank expressions, large hands, and seemed inexplicably nervous.

These are disciples of artisans selected from various regions, all of them exceptionally talented. After a long journey to the capital, and now to this renowned academy, they are naturally filled with trepidation.

Some, however, exude an air of nobility in their gait and demeanor.

They were illegitimate children sent by the powerful and wealthy, here to try their luck for a future.

Most of the disciples were no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, and they gathered in groups of three or five, whispering among themselves.

The way they looked at each other was filled with scrutiny and weighing.

On a distant high platform, Yan Jiuling, looking exhausted, gazed at the scene below with excitement in his eyes.

"Brother Li, guess what I saw?"

Standing next to him was Li Yan, who had been temporarily brought in.

Li Yan's eyes also held a complex expression.

He never expected that his unintentional actions would lead to such a scene.

Hearing Yan Jiuling's question, and recalling the Xuanmen steam engine he had seen before, he pursed his lips.

"A new era..."

(End of this chapter)