Swallow Return

At this moment, Ningning bowed and said, "I apologize for disturbing your rest, Madam! But I really can't find anyone who can help me."

Gui Die nodded and beckoned her to come in: "Take your time! Now that you're here with me, there's nothing to worry about."

This old woman?

She actually referred to herself as "this old woman"... even though she looked only in her early thirties, which, from a modern perspective, would be the prime of her life.

Of course, in the 16th century, this self-designation didn't seem wrong...

Liu Yun suppressed the various strange thoughts in his mind and bowed down to pay his respects.

"I am..."

He had barely opened his mouth when he was interrupted.

"I know you, sir." Lady Guidie's tone seemed to show a little interest: "Sasaki Ryuun, I have long heard that you are a very powerful master. Meeting you today, I can see that you are indeed extraordinary."

Liu Yun humbly replied, "I dare not accept such praise."

Gui Die chuckled and shook her head, saying, "What's there to be ashamed of? My judgment of people is never wrong."

Liu Yun chuckled: "Alright, I was being pretentious. When it comes to fighting, I am indeed naturally skilled, so I have always firmly believed that there is nothing that cannot be solved with one strike. If one strike is not enough, then two strikes will do."

Gui Die laughed heartily upon hearing this: "That's more like it! We're not scheming in the imperial court now, so why be so hypocritical?"

Liu Yun smiled without saying a word. In his heart, he felt even more strongly that Oda Nobunaga's decision not to live with his wife was due to his personality.

In terms of appearance, this "domineering female CEO" is quite praiseworthy.

At this moment, Gui Die took two steps outside, took Ning Ning's hand, and showed a rare tenderness and affection in her eyes. She said softly, "Come in quickly and tell me what happened." Then she turned to look at Liu Yun, her expression returning to its previous serious and cold tone, and said, "It seems you are a witness to today's events. Please come in too!"

Chapter 146 The Tea Scented with Lilies and the Monster in the Bathhouse

"How could this happen? I understand. Those who dare to harm Ningning... I will never forgive these nuns."

Lady Guidie was now furious, her eyes revealing a chilling and murderous aura, her whole being like a drawn blade, its sharpness fully exposed.

Ningning stood beside her, head bowed and eyes lowered, silent, like a little bird nestled against her.

Liu Yun saw it from afar and vaguely sensed something—

They really have a good relationship!

Isn't this a bit too good?

……

After entering the gate of Qingjian Temple, Lady Guidie pulled Ningning into her room and questioned her in detail, while Liuyun sat in the living room, served tea by two elderly maids.

It was past midnight, the darkest time of the day.

A lamp was lit on the table, and outside, the stars and moonlight were scattered.

With Ryuun's keen eyesight, it was clear that this simple and cramped Seiken-ji Temple contained only three buildings—one large and two small—and at most six or seven servants. Lady Kicho, the matriarch of the Oda clan, really didn't care much for pomp and circumstance.

There was nothing in the courtyard or living room that could be associated with luxury.

Before her was only a weapon rack, along with martial arts props such as archery targets and wooden dummy. It seemed that Lady Guidie enjoyed wielding swords and spears.

In the center of the yard was a well, and then there was only a large clump of plants, two or three feet tall. It was probably not in bloom, as they were mostly stems, leaves, and buds—or perhaps they were the type that never flowered. Liu Yun didn't know anything about this and couldn't tell the variety.

However, when the elderly maid poured the tea, she explained that it was made with flower petals, which Lady Guidie herself had grown in the courtyard. She said that the tea was not only refreshing and unforgettable, but also had the wonderful effects of calming the mind and strengthening the body.

So, what's actually planted in the yard are lilies.

Yes, she is a domineering female CEO named Gui Die, who is estranged from her husband, lives in a different city, loves to grow lilies, and has a powerful and imposing presence that surpasses that of men.

Moreover, he had a very close relationship with the wife of his subordinate.

Liu Yun felt that if she continued to ponder this matter, it would become rather terrifying if she thought about it more closely, so she quickly stopped her overly vivid imagination.

Why bother speculating about other people's lives when you can just enjoy a couple of sips of your fragrant lily tea?

……

After a while, under the lights and starlight, the female CEO... no, Madam Guidie, with a livid face and solemn expression, walked out of the room carrying a four-foot-long katana. She declared that she would make the group of nuns in the Cishou Temple of Guangde Mountain who had fallen into evil ways "submit to the law and be executed." Her words were filled with a firm determination to kill.

This furious posture resembles that of a female beast protecting her cubs.

Ningning was originally a graceful and dignified housewife, with a kind of gentle strength.

But now, she followed behind Lady Guidie with her head down and eyes lowered, looking like... like a fledgling bird protected under the wings of a falcon.

The contrast is quite striking.

Liu Yun tried her best to control herself, but she couldn't help but keep thinking in strange directions.

It's all because I wasted too much time browsing the internet in my past life, and I came across a whole bunch of taboo knowledge, like "lilies blooming" and "yuri-esque" stuff. My brain has been pretty much washed away.

The old fogies say that anime culture is poisoning the physical and mental health of teenagers, and it seems there's some truth to that.

Liu Yun took a moment to compose herself, suppressing her inappropriate curiosity, and said to Lady Gui Die with righteous indignation, "That's exactly right. I estimate that they won't have time to react yet, so we can wipe them all out in one fell swoop and expose this nunnery that has become a den of demons."

Lady Guidie nodded upon hearing this.

Although she was furious and looked ready to devour someone, she was not impulsive. Instead, she remained calm, gently stroking the scabbard in her arms, and said calmly, "However, what happened to Ningning today is not suitable for too many people to know. Therefore, we cannot mobilize the Oda clan's troops stationed in Kyoto for the time being. Those rough men don't know how to keep a woman's privacy."

Liu Yun agreed with this.

But if we don't get the Oda clan's army involved, who else can we ask to take action?

Even if Lady Guidie herself is a master, plus Liuyun himself, there are only two of them.

Even if we could defeat them, there's no guarantee we could wipe them all out. After all, that nunnery has three gates; even if they can't climb over the walls, it would still take at least three people to block them.

He couldn't help but voice his question: "So you mean we should use forces that don't belong to the Oda clan?"

Faced with this question, Lady Guidie smiled, her face displaying a complex mix of pride and sadness. She did not answer, but instead instructed the maid beside her, "Go and bring that thing out!"

What does "that thing" refer to?

The two older maids seemed to understand perfectly, their expressions showing surprise, but they quickly ran into the room and brought out one...

Hmm... what was it again?

In Liu Yun's eyes, it was just a simple and old oil jug. It could probably hold about a dou and a half of oil, and it was very clean, but he couldn't see any power it contained.

Lady Guidie solemnly took the oil jug from the maid's hand, and was immediately filled with nostalgia. She sighed, "Most of the things my father left behind have been forgotten, but as long as this thing is still here, it will always retain traces of his past achievements!"

As a enthusiast of the Warring States period, Liu Yun knew that the father of this domineering female CEO was Saito Dosan, the former lord of Mino Province.

As for his "former business," he knew very little about it.

Lady Guidie, carrying the simple and old oil jug in both hands, walked to the well in the middle of the courtyard and threw the oil jug into the well.

A muffled thud was heard in a moment, and the oil jug seemed to have fallen to the bottom of the well and was now floating on the surface of the water.

Liu Yun gradually sensed a demonic aura suddenly emerging around him, which rapidly expanded and became increasingly intense. Within moments, it became extremely abundant and powerful, immediately exuding an aura of a hundred ghosts roaming at night.

Then, Lady Guicho stood tall and proud, hands behind her back, looked around, and in a bold and impassioned tone, called out loudly: "You monsters who once belonged to the 'Bathhouse,' listen up! As the daughter of the 'Pot Holder,' I command you to show yourselves and assist me!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a strange rainbow of light burst forth from the well in the courtyard.

At the same time, the demonic energy in the air had solidified to the point of being almost tangible, making people feel extremely pressured!

The two elderly maids instinctively took a few steps back and stood in the corridor of the house to avoid the attack.

Lady Guidie spread her sleeves, exuding an indescribable aura, and sheltered the seemingly frail Ningning in her arms.

The rainbow light grew brighter and brighter until it was as dazzling as the red sun in the sky, then it burst open with a "poof" sound, turning into many tiny stars that scattered on the ground.

Then suddenly dozens or even hundreds of monsters of vastly different shapes and sizes appeared in the courtyard.

At first glance, Liu Yun felt that these monsters were no weaklings; they were probably at least equal in number to the Oda clan's Umakai followers.

I never imagined that Lady Guidie possessed such formidable elite martial arts skills.

It's clear that the persona of a domineering female CEO is not just an act; she genuinely has the financial resources to back it up.

After dozens of monsters appeared, they all knelt down and bowed to Lady Guidie without making any unnecessary noise or movement.

A creature resembling a human, extremely tall, but with no face or features, only thick hair on its head, seemingly the leader of the monsters, spoke passionately on behalf of the group: "After decades, we have finally received the summons of our master's descendants once more! Young lady, please give us your orders!"

Lady Guidie nodded slightly and pointed: "You all know the location of Cishou Temple on Guangde Mountain, right? It has now become a den of demons, and they even dared to frame my relatives and friends. I have summoned you tonight to attack this place!"

Without hesitation, the monsters knelt down and accepted the order, letting out fierce cries.

The tall, faceless, hairy yokai leader shouted, "Everyone, follow me into battle! Let all the yokai and humans outside see that even after decades, our Aburaya is still the strongest in Kyoto!"

At this moment, Lady Guidie drew her four-foot-long sword.

A chilling light suddenly filled half the courtyard.

Lady Guicho was still dressed in the usual sho-sleeved clothes of a noblewoman, and even on her feet were tabi socks and wooden clogs that were not suitable for exercise. She did not dress up as a princess samurai.

But just by looking at the indomitable aura she exuded after wielding the long sword, Liu Yun was convinced that this domineering female CEO must be very powerful.

Chapter 147 The Siege of the Nunnery

Around 2 a.m., the "Bathhouse Monsters" summoned by Lady Guicho gathered outside Seiken-ji Temple. There were a total of 67 soldiers and generals, and they marched proudly towards Jishou-in Temple on Mount Kōtoku.

This group includes not only reckless and impulsive individuals, but also many wise and resourceful sages.

The dozens of monsters of varying sizes were originally quite noisy, but a female demon with a semi-transparent body transformed into a gust of cold wind and drifted around the group, thus isolating the noise from both inside and outside.

Then there was another monster that looked like a turtle. It roared a few times and its body grew several times larger, forming a natural chariot, carrying its companion with mobility issues on its back.

There was also a large head, the size of a water vat, floating in the air. Its gong-like eyes emitted golden light, piercing the dark night sky and clearly seeing the scene five hundred paces away. It served as the head of the reconnaissance team.

Then came the female demon, whose true form was a bronze mirror. She chanted a few strange incantations, summoning a black mist that covered the area, allowing those inside to see outside but those outside to not see inside.

……

These "bathhouse monsters" seemed to know each other very well and were very well-trained. Without being told, they took the initiative to perform their duties, cast a bunch of spells, and then lined up in formation and marched forward with high spirits.

Lady Guidie brandished her sword as a signal, ordering the troops to advance.

She herself held Ningning's hand and walked at the very back.

They were really holding hands, although their fingers weren't interlocked.

However, the posture was very appropriate and harmonious, without any sense of abruptness.

In modern terms, they have an extremely strong chemistry as a couple.

He is at least slightly stronger than Hideyoshi Hashiba and Nene.

Liu Yun couldn't help but wonder once again if the two ladies' relationship was truly just that of sisters...