Swallow Return

In the darkness, Ningning couldn't see very clearly, but fortunately, she had a natural spiritual sense and accurately leaned forward to suck Liuyun's finger into her mouth, drawing some blood into it.

Then her complexion immediately improved.

A short while later, Liu Yun released his hand and stopped transmitting healing power, but Ning Ning remained conscious.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Liu Yun was about to ask how to handle it, and was still considering how to phrase it more tactfully...

Ningning spoke first again.

This time she said directly, "This Cishou Temple on Guangde Mountain is clearly no longer a proper nunnery, and it should not be let go easily. But I really do not want today's matter to be known by the public, please forgive me."

Liu Yun immediately agreed: "That's only natural. May I ask what your plans are, Madam?"

Ningning didn't answer at first, remaining silent for a while before saying in a low, desolate tone, "These items on my body are making me... a little uncomfortable. Please allow me to... remove these things first..."

Liu Yun understood what was meant, quickly took a few steps away, turned his back, and stood guard at the door of the abandoned house.

Then a soft, delicate sound came from behind.

The sound was quite embarrassing.

Liu Yun didn't actually want to hear it either, but he was born with exceptional hearing and vision, unlike ordinary people. Even if he covered his eyes with his hands, he couldn't block the sound from getting in.

This awkward silence lasted for a while, and no one knew how much time had passed—maybe a minute, maybe five minutes, maybe half an hour—in such a strange environment, one's concept of time would become confused and blurred.

Then Ningning sighed helplessly and said in an almost inaudible voice, "Lord Liuyun... there are two things that I cannot untangle myself. But if I don't untangle them, it will be difficult for me to walk. Please... please help me."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun was speechless, her heart raced, and she instinctively wanted to refuse.

But rationally speaking, there's no one who can help me right now except myself.

So he softly said "Yes," and turned and walked back with mixed feelings.

At this moment, there were two ingeniously designed and tightly bound little gadgets fixed to Ningning's body.

The abandoned house was dark and dimly lit, but in Liu Yun's eyes, it still had about 60-70% of the clarity of daylight.

Earlier, at the nunnery, the situation was quite urgent, and the only concern was saving Ningning's life; there was no time to think about anything else.

Right now...

Seeing the exquisite device, fully displayed on Ningning's body, Liuyun felt extreme anger and contempt for the depraved elements in the nunnery, driven by a sense of morality. But at the same time...

On the other hand, due to male physiological factors, he couldn't help but have some inappropriate impulses that amplified the awkwardness of the current situation.

This impulse will directly manifest at the physical level.

Fortunately, Ningning doesn't have extraordinary eyesight, so she probably can't see this situation... right?

Liu Yun straightened her legs as much as possible, bent over, and hunched her upper body, striking a strange pose.

Then, using all his willpower, he barely managed to keep his hands from trembling as he tore open an evil artifact.

Throughout the entire process, Ningning kept her head down and eyes closed. Only when the instrument was torn at the end did she let out a soft groan of pain.

I couldn't see her expression, but I could roughly imagine it.

After completing such a simple task, Liu Yun was already covered in sweat and panting heavily.

It's not difficult to tear down that evil instrument; what's difficult is... suppressing your own inappropriate physical urges.

Ningning suddenly said in a hoarse voice, "I'm sure you won't tell anyone about what happened today..."

Without a second thought, Liu Yun immediately made a firm promise: "Of course! This matter will absolutely not be known to any third party!"

Ningning remained silent and did not respond. Only her shoulders trembled slightly.

Liu Yun let out a long sigh to calm himself down, composed himself, and continued to deal with the last remaining evil artifact...

Chapter 145 The Domineering Female CEO: Lady Guidie

Under the cover of night, in the abandoned house, Liu Yun, dressed only in thin undergarments, was breathing heavily, exhausted, and in dire need of rest. Madam Ningning sat on a mat, draped haphazardly in an ill-fitting men's coat, listless and silent, like a soulless shell.

There were also some mysterious instruments on the surrounding floor that had just been removed and were still warm from being handled.

If someone saw this, there would be a huge misunderstanding...

Fortunately, it was dark and remote in the suburbs, so no one would easily pass by.

If it really happens, with Liu Yun's keen eyesight and skill, there are enough ways to avoid it.

I just slipped away here to calm down. I can't linger here any longer. What should I do next?

Liu Yun is currently quite agitated and in a strange state of mind, and is not yet able to return to a normal state.

But Ningning only waited a moment before speaking in a calm, low voice, devoid of emotion: "The Cishou Nunnery on Guangde Mountain needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. However, my current state is not suitable for meeting other people, so there is only one place left for me to go."

Liu Yun quickly asked, "May I ask what you are referring to, Madam?"

Ningning countered, "Lord Liuyun, do you know about 'Qingjian Temple' in the northwest suburbs of Kyoto?"

Liu Yun had no idea about this and could only shake his head and admit, "I've never heard of it."

Ningning continued in a deep voice, "It's not far from the Golden Pavilion Temple, almost in the same direction. If I give you directions, it shouldn't be difficult to find it. At this moment, we can't rely on anyone else, so we can only ask Lord Liuyun to escort us for a while."

Liu Yun, of course, readily agreed, patting his chest and saying, "No problem."

Ningning said softly, "Thank you. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Then, draped in the flowing clouds, he handed her the coat and slowly stood up.

Liu Yun took the lead, leaving the abandoned house and coming to the roadside. He looked left and right and saw that there were almost no lights, let alone pedestrians.

Only the dim moonlight and starlight.

Ningning lowered her head and walked out slowly with heavy steps, sighing, "If I hadn't met you today...it would have been unimaginable."

Liu Yun didn't know what expression to make, so he didn't turn around. Instead, he faced away from the other person and said in a calm and composed tone, "Kinoshita and I... ah, now it's Hashiba... I've become sworn brothers with Lord Hashiba. It's only right that we rescued the lady today."

Upon uttering the name, Liu Yun immediately regretted it.

It seems like you're deliberately bringing up a sore spot...

As expected, Ningning paused, standing still for a long time before speaking in a very low, hoarse voice, "Lord Liuyun, I have something I must ask of you... Please do not tell Lord Hashiba Hideyoshi about what happened today. Even if he discovers something and asks, please cover it up and say you know nothing about it, is that alright? If you can help me keep this a secret, I will do my best to repay you in the future."

Liu Yun hesitated for a moment.

To be fair, putting aside the jokes about sworn brothers, Hideyoshi Hashiba was a decent person in every way, and he treated me very well; he could be considered a good friend. Wouldn't it be disloyal of me to keep this from him?

But then I thought about it again. The mental damage that Madam Ningning suffered today was to the point of collapse, so we should prioritize taking care of her feelings for the time being.

So he nodded decisively and said, "There's no need to mention anything about rewards. I will remain silent as you wish, Madam."

Upon hearing this, Ningning breathed a sigh of relief, clutched her oversized men's coat, pointed with her finger, and whispered the direction to go.

……

At midnight, the two arrived at the entrance of "Qingjian Temple" that Ningning had mentioned.

It looked like a tiny temple, barely twenty meters long and wide, with simple earthen and wooden walls on the outside and single-story buildings inside, without any tall buildings.

Liu Yun had no idea why she had come here, and she didn't know whether she should knock on the door.

Ningning said softly, "This is the only place I can think of to ask for help right now."

Liu Yun was slightly puzzled: "Could there be a trustworthy high monk inside?"

Ningning slowly shook her head: "No... This place is actually Lady Guidie's usual residence in Kyoto."

Liu Yun didn't recognize the name and continued, "Who is Lady Guidie?"

Ningning was slightly surprised and explained, "It's Lady Kicho, the matriarch of the Oda family who is often referred to as 'Nohime.' Don't you know her?"

Liu Yun then understood.

She turned out to be Nobunaga's wife, and she's a female NPC who frequently appears in later games.

But then another big problem came to mind—

Wasn't Nobunaga living at Honnoji Temple, 1.5 kilometers east of Nijo Castle?

His wife, Kicho, lives in such a remote place called "Seigami-ji" in the northwestern suburbs of Kyoto. The two of them must be about five or six kilometers apart!

Are the couple living separately?

Does this mean their relationship isn't going well?

While Liu Yun was lost in thought, Ning Ning gently knocked on the gate of Qingjian Temple.

Logically speaking, in the middle of the night, in a remote suburb with few people around, it would probably take quite a while before someone came out to greet you after your visit.

but--

Ningning knocked three times, a total of nine times, without using much force, when she heard a cold, serious, and powerful female voice coming from inside Qingjian Temple: "Who comes to visit?"

It sounds like the kind of elementary school homeroom teacher who doesn't show any kindness to students.

At the same time, Liu Yun suddenly sensed something like "sword energy" emanating from him, which immediately put him on high alert.

Could this Lady Guidie be a master?

Ningning answered softly, "Madam, it's me..."

"Ningning?"

A questioning voice came from inside the courtyard.

Then, the door opened cleanly and swiftly, its creaking sound extremely jarring in the night air.

Two elderly maids pushed open the door, one on each side, each carrying a bright lantern.

Right in the center was a graceful, capable, and heroic woman.

The woman was dressed in a very common long-sleeved dress, without any ornaments, and had a faint smile on her face. Judging from her makeup alone, she seemed no different from other noblewomen.

But she just stood there, like a sharp sword stuck in the earth and rocks. Her gaze was imposing and authoritative, like a domineering hero looking down on the world. Wherever she looked, people couldn't help but tense up.

Lady Kicho of the Oda family was actually such a person.

Liu Yun had initially thought the voice sounded like a "tough elementary school teacher," but now it seemed she had seriously underestimated it. She was more like a domineering female CEO whose glare alone could make her subordinates tremble with fear!

No wonder she and Oda Nobunaga lived apart.

Two domineering CEOs can't be put together; two tigers cannot share one mountain.

Gui Die's eyes widened slightly in surprise when she saw Ning Ning's disheveled appearance, wearing only an ill-fitting men's outer garment. However, she quickly regained her composure and solemnly said, "It seems that Ning Ning must have experienced something indescribable tonight."