Swallow Return

To use a once-popular analogy, it's like a fox catching a rooster.

Then the white-robed nun suddenly adopted a solemn demeanor, put her hands together, recited a Buddhist verse, and solemnly said, "Talking on paper is meaningless; please come into the meditation room with me for a careful discussion!"

Then, grabbing Liuyun's arm, they eagerly walked inside.

Entering through the small courtyard by the side gate, one can see that within the high walls and deep courtyards of the nunnery, dozens of individual houses are separated. The houses are not large, and the paths between them are narrow. If someone comes from the opposite direction, one has to step aside to avoid them.

The lighting was plentiful, with lanterns hanging every ten steps.

The white-robed nun hurried along, pulling Liuyun along as they sped away.

Around the corner, a nun dressed in black, who also appeared to be a middle-aged housekeeper, shook her head with regret and sighed, "Senior sister, you've embezzled again, competing with the ladies for students. Alas..."

The nun in white sneered, "Since ancient times, it's only the fifty who laugh at the hundred, not the hundred who laugh at the fifty. Junior sister, you've done this far too few times."

The nun in black bowed her head and clasped her hands together, saying in a mournful voice, "That was all just following the ladies' orders, acting as a teaching assistant... Senior Sister, you've been doing everything behind the ladies' backs..."

The nun in white said irritably, "This is just a test of the students' aptitude for the ladies!"

The black-clad nun glanced at Liu Yun, shaking her head in disappointment: "With such appearance and manners, he's clearly a rough and uncouth warrior, lacking any charm. What good is talent if he can't even be considered a gentleman..."

The nun in white didn't bother to reply, quickened her pace, turned the corner, and disappeared from the intersection in an instant.

Liu Yun was only focused on sensing the distress signals transmitted through telepathy, and had no time to pay attention to anything else. He kept his head down and remained silent, following closely behind, as if he were a newcomer who was still shy.

When the nun in white turned around and saw him, her blood boiled and she became restless. She hurriedly led him into a side room in the corner of the nunnery.

There was an old woman inside, slowly sweeping the floor with a large broom by the dim candlelight.

The nun in white, without any patience, chased the old woman away with a few words, closed the door, took the lampshade, revealed a meaningful smile, and made a move to blow out the candles.

At this moment, Liu Yun realized that the distress signals transmitted through telepathy were becoming increasingly urgent.

It seems that there is no time to delay any longer.

Without saying a word, Liu Yun stepped forward, grasped the white-robed nun's arm, and activated the "bewitching power" within her body.

A red light instantly enveloped the opponent's body.

However, the nun in white did not immediately lose her composure; she merely showed a pained expression, as if she were still struggling to resist.

It's not surprising, though. This "bewitching power" won't work on people with strong wills and high abilities.

If this tactic doesn't work, we'll have to resort to force!

Liu Yun intended to take control by force, grabbing the other person by the back of the neck and shoulders.

The moment the touch was made, before any force was applied, the white-robed nun's eyes widened, her body went limp, and her instinctive resistance to the "bewitching power" vanished instantly. Then, her expression became dazed, her eyes unfocused, revealing a look of exhaustion mixed with a blissful infatuation.

It succeeded by accident, but Liu Yun didn't know the underlying principle.

They had no time to care about this matter.

After letting the white-robed nun fall asleep in her enchanting, erotic dream, Liu Yun quietly emerged from the corner of the house and searched for the distress signal sent through telepathy.

Given that there are likely experts guarding the nunnery, there is a great risk of revealing our presence by asking questions so rashly.

However, the distress signal coming from telepathy was so strange that it piqued Liu Yun's curiosity, and he couldn't ignore it.

Chapter 142 Ningning's Shame and Despair

When Ningning realized something was wrong, she was already too weak to move and couldn't even call out.

In the sleeve of her right hand, she carried a small jade artifact, already bound to her through a blood oath. If thrown and broken, it would summon three powerful shikigami to fight. Meanwhile, hidden inside her chest lining was a magical wooden whistle; a gentle blow would alert her family.

The problem is, I can't even muster this much strength now!

Fortunately, the tortoiseshell I wore today also had protective properties, and it took effect automatically without needing to be activated, which is why it was able to barely resist the erosion of the external demonic energy.

However, passive defense is not a long-term solution, and the protective magic will eventually run out.

We must find a way to resist.

But they really couldn't think of any way to resist.

Will anyone come to our rescue?

……

She arrived in Kyoto several days ago with Kinoshita Tokichiro—now known as Hashiba Hideyoshi.

Like Ryuun who brought his family, the reason for their arrival was to attend the grand event hosted by Oda Nobunaga.

However, after arriving in Kyoto, Nene heard some amazing good news from a reliable source.

That is: her husband, Hashiba Hideyoshi, was recommended by his lord, Oda Nobunaga, and was included in the imperial court's list of honors, with the expectation that he would receive the official position of "Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade, Governor of Chikuzen Province" after the new year.

In the traditional Japanese concept, reaching this level is considered equivalent to becoming a noble in the general sense.

To be precise, strictly speaking, only those with three or more titles are considered "noble," while those with four or five titles are merely the next level of "commonly noble." But who cares about such a minor difference?

Anyone with a modicum of emotional intelligence knows that when addressing a deputy leader, it's best to avoid using the word "deputy" unless absolutely necessary.

Similarly, when faced with the term "Tong Gui," most people will consciously ignore the word "Tong."

The retainers who will be granted titles will not only be Hashiba Hideyoshi, but also Shibata Katsuie, Akechi Mitsuhide, and others. Oda Nobunaga himself will be promoted to "Senior Fourth Rank, Upper Councilor," becoming a true nobleman. (As mentioned earlier, only those above the third rank are considered "noble," but the position of Councilor is an exception. In layman's terms, a Senior Fourth Rank Councilor enjoys the privileges of a Junior Third Rank retainer.)

Upon hearing the good news, Ningning was naturally overjoyed, feeling that her years of hard work as a wife had not been in vain.

However, at the same time, I felt somewhat apprehensive.

After her husband was granted a title, she herself would inevitably have to deal with the wives of officials frequently. If she was not familiar with the etiquette of Kyoto and was ridiculed, becoming a laughing stock in the circle, she might displease Oda Nobunaga, which in turn would have a negative impact on her career.

Therefore, Ningning quickly asked someone to help her find a way to go to "Guangdeshan Cishou Temple" to offer incense and worship Buddha.

This nunnery is full of women from high-ranking families who have chosen to practice Buddhism. It would be most appropriate to learn etiquette from them. Moreover, it wouldn't attract attention or cause unnecessary trouble.

After entering the "Guangdeshan Cishou Temple", Ningning adopted a dignified, generous, humble, and eager-to-learn attitude, and asked for advice from others in a humble yet respectful manner.

A few cynical people mocked her, looking down on her as the wife of a nouveau riche country samurai.

Perhaps they are still immersed in the old memories of the days when nobles ruled the world and can't get out of it!

Fortunately, most people are reasonable—or rather, they are aware of the situation.

In truth, people of noble birth don't need to put on airs. The samurai's rule is already a fait accompli, so why adopt a self-absorbed attitude for the sake of saving face? They'd be better off building good relationships and getting some money out of them.

Ningning understood this mentality very well, and she was very generous, giving away thirty taels of silver for incense money without batting an eye, which earned her widespread respect.

Then everyone chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere was very harmonious and pleasant.

Ningning got her wish and learned a lot about the etiquette and regulations for formal events held by the upper class, as well as many unwritten rules of interpersonal communication.

Although I vaguely sensed something was amiss along the way, I assumed it was just the private matters of those wealthy women and didn't pay much attention.

They never considered safety at all.

Think about it, the women of the royal family and the Five Regents all became nuns at this "Guangdeshan Cishou Temple". How could such a prestigious nunnery possibly have any serious problems?

They talked for more than an hour, then arranged flowers and prayed to Buddha together, and got along very well.

Therefore, when she received the invitation to the dinner party, Ningning agreed without any suspicion and even sent someone to inform Hideyoshi Hashiba.

……

Looking back now, the problem was during the dinner party.

The food was contaminated with some kind of poison or drug. In any case, it must have been something very unusual.

The effect may not be very strong, but its strength lies in its high degree of concealment. With Ningning's innate spiritual power, she didn't notice it at all.

By the time the effects were seen after the meal and someone realized something was wrong, it was too late.

Ningning, who is now paralyzed and unable to move, has been moved to a secluded house that is only the size of a six-tatami mat.

A pink lamp hung on the wall, casting a dim light and creating an ambiguous atmosphere.

Then two nuns entered the room, removed Ningning's clothes, and examined her thoroughly from head to toe, even measuring her size with their hands, while making joking and gossipy comments.

"This place is truly enviable! It's as perfect as a cone."

"My waist and abdomen are a bit of a disappointment. Although there isn't much fat, there is still some excess fat. It's a pity."

"I do like the shape of your legs. I wish I could have them on my own..."

"Your feet are a bit rough, it seems that you come from a poor family and have done manual labor."

Even though Ningning's mental strength was strong enough, she was still just a Japanese woman from the 16th century. Hearing these words, she felt extremely ashamed and indignant, wishing she could dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it.

Unfortunately, she can't even muster an angry expression right now.

The two nuns played with her quite wantonly for a while before placing the naked Ningning on the tatami mat. Then, they took out a bunch of strange instruments from behind the partition and placed them on her body. Some were for binding, some for clamping, some for inserting…

If she was just feeling ashamed and angry before, Ningning now felt like she wanted to die.

If she had any strength left, she would have bitten her tongue and committed suicide without hesitation to avoid such a terrible humiliation.

Although those tools were unfamiliar, they were clearly used for evil purposes!

A place that was originally intended for women from noble families to shave their heads and practice Buddhism has been turned into this state. The reason behind it is unimaginable and chilling!

However, Ningning had absolutely no strength to struggle.

The two nuns spent a long time setting up the equipment, their foreheads beaded with sweat and their breaths ragged. After resting for a while, they knelt down one after the other and began chanting mysterious incantations that were incomprehensible to the others.

Ningning was still lying naked on the tatami mat, with some strange props attached to her body.

The two nuns, however, were solemnly chanting incantations with their eyes closed.

This art style just doesn't suit it at all.

Coupled with the dim pink lighting, an indescribable eeriness permeated the room.

Upon hearing the mysterious incantation, Ningning's mind suddenly changed.

She suddenly felt that the strange props on her body began to emit a strange heat, which penetrated her skin, blood vessels, and internal organs, making her unable to control herself.

In an instant, Ningning's mind was filled with unspeakable hallucinations.

This is simply unacceptable.

Even though she was kidnapped and imprisoned, and seemed to be involved in some kind of evil ritual, why did she keep thinking about the pleasures of love and intimacy?

And what's most embarrassing is that, in her hallucination, the person Nene is with isn't her husband, Hideyoshi Hashiba, but...

It doesn't matter who he is, as long as he's not her legal husband, that's enough to make things awkward.

Ningning tried her best to erase that embarrassing figure from her mind, to avoid thinking about anything related to that person, and to control herself from indulging in hallucinations.