Swallow Return

Onmyoji Ryuun only knew Takenaka Shigeharu. When asked, Shigeharu replied that he had heard of the existence of "Lord One-Eyed" but did not know his whereabouts.

His connections with monks were absolutely nonexistent. Although he had once served in the Buddhist order, it was only in a small, insignificant temple in a remote area.

Although Liu Yun had come to Kyoto, he couldn't find a way to obtain it.

They had even planned to spend a huge sum of money to ask Oda Nobunaga for help through Hashiba Hideyoshi.

Actively seeking help from politicians will inevitably lead to being exploited and squeezed for surplus value, making it a choice made out of desperation.

But last night's events brought a completely new perspective.

The "Bathhouse Monsters" under Lady Guicho's command seem to be quite capable.

Maybe they'll find out something?

It seems that Lady Guidie values ​​Ningning very much, so the favor of rescuing Ningning last night must be considered a considerable debt of gratitude to her.

Ningning's ordeal was so shocking that Liuyun momentarily forgot about his own affairs.

Looking back now, I've decided to take this opportunity to try and resolve the potential problems as soon as possible.

Chapter 150 Kyoto Demon Hunting Operation (Part 2)

The town of Ichijoji, where Ryuun lives, is a few kilometers away from Kiyomi-ji, a northwestern suburb where Lady Kicho lives. Whether you fly there or run there, it will take some time.

Seeing that it was already the end of the Si hour (around 10:30 am), he decided to set off after finishing his lunch.

To avoid being seen as someone who's freeloading.

In this era, most people ate two meals a day. Each family had different habits; some skipped breakfast, and some didn't eat dinner, but lunch was generally regarded as the most important meal of the day.

Therefore, if you arrive at someone's home at 11 or 12 in the morning without prior notice, it may cause an unnecessary awkward situation.

Liu Yun made this plan in his mind, and then suddenly realized that he had subconsciously thought "don't cause trouble for others". It must be because he had been in Japan for a long time and had been influenced by local customs.

This is inevitable.

Lunch was again a set meal prepared by the hotel, consisting of thirteen dishes, all served in delicate little porcelain bowls.

It is a typical "Kyoto cuisine," with an extremely complex cooking process and a visually appealing presentation. The seasoning and cooking time are handled with great care. The stimulation to the tongue is relatively limited; one must approach it with a sense of "refined tranquility" to experience a deliciousness that transcends the mundane.

In other words, it's like having thin soup and water, and plain tea and rice.

Thirteen beautiful and exquisitely crafted bowls and plates were placed full on three large wooden plates, each set on a small tea table. As she ate them, Liu Yun felt nostalgic for the folk delicacies she could eat every day in her previous life...

I really want two pieces of braised pork belly with rich, dark sauce, and a bite of spicy and savory braised duck neck!

Sara, the sister-in-law, spoke highly of this Kyoto dish, praising it as "worthy of being the work of a famous chef from Ichijoji Terauchi."

This is likely because she had never eaten a meal that cost the equivalent of a month's worth of food for an average person before.

Speaking of sisters-in-law...

Before the meal, Liu Yun paid special attention to the damage to the Huakaiyuan family's ancestral farmland.

Yesterday, I sent my retainers out to investigate and inquire. The result I learned today is that after being sprinkled with cursed salt containing demonic energy, the twenty fields will face a severe reduction in production over the next three to five years. If the weather is also unfavorable, there may even be no harvest at all.

Unless you hire a skilled Onmyoji to exorcise the evil spirits or have a high-ranking monk perform a ritual to purify it, which would cost a large sum of money and might not be worth it.

Speaking of which, a small bag of cursed salt might cost twenty strings of cash. Using it to pollute fields is a completely self-defeating act.

That "Mrs. Kuroi" harbored a deep resentment towards the Hanakain family.

As a result, although Sara, the younger sister-in-law dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit, won the lawsuit and got back the land, she still couldn't earn enough to live on, and could only tearfully and pitifully beg her brother-in-law for help...

The drifting clouds were so used to this posture that they didn't pay it any mind.

Surprisingly, both Iori and Saeko subtly voiced their support for Sara, suggesting that they "take good care" of their sister-in-law who loves wearing red and white shrine maiden outfits in the future.

This surprised Liu Yun a little.

What exactly happens between women when I'm not around?

……

In short, we don't have time to focus on the minor details for now.

After lunch, Ryuun rushed to Kiyomiji Temple in the northwestern suburbs of Kyoto to inquire about the "One-Eyed Master".

Upon entering after identifying himself, he found Lady Guidie indeed calmly and peacefully residing at home.

But... Ningning was also sitting opposite her with her head down, revealing a dejected and downcast figure.

This doesn't seem right.

Didn't we safely send Ningning home before dawn this morning?

Liu Yun glanced at it, slightly suspicious, but didn't ask.

Lady Guidie noticed his gaze, snorted, and said coldly, "Fujikichiro... now called Hideyoshi, is such a heartless man. He doesn't care at all about the harm his wife has suffered. He only cares about subtly questioning the so-called 'reputation' of a samurai's wife. So Nene came to me for refuge."

Liu Yun felt a little embarrassed after hearing this. Considering that his brother Monkey had always been quite good to him, he tried his best to comfort him, saying, "Lord Hideyoshi is indeed too careless in this regard, and is not a meticulous person at all. But considering his position, he doesn't know the story behind it, so it's only natural that he would react that way..."

Upon hearing this, Lady Guidie's eyes instantly turned icy cold. She raised her head and angrily rebuked, "Even if, as you say, having all sorts of nonsense is human nature, is slapping one's own wife also human nature?"

Slap?

Liu Yun was stunned and speechless.

At this moment, Ningning turned to the side and whispered a plea to Madam Guidie not to continue.

Liu Yun could see that Ning Ning did indeed have a faint red mark on her face.

That makes things complicated.

As the saying goes, even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes. If someone has already started hitting their wife, the situation has become very serious, and it's futile to try to find out the reason.

And there weren't any women's federations or anything like that back then...

As an outsider, Liu Yun is unable to offer an opinion.

Ningning pleaded softly for a couple of minutes, and Lady Guidie's expression softened slightly, but she still wouldn't forgive him, saying angrily, "I'll have Nobunaga reprimand Hideyoshi! Even if you don't care about feelings, you should at least consider the status of the principal wife and show him respect!"

Liu Yun remained silent, suddenly realizing that she had come at the wrong time.

But since we're already here, we can't just leave right away.

That would only make it seem more awkward and deliberate.

After being persuaded by Ningning for a few moments, Lady Guidie finally calmed down completely. She sighed and stopped worrying about it. Instead, she said to Liuyun in a teasing tone, "You must have something important to say here today! After all, I am getting old and shouldn't attract any restless young men."

Look at what they're saying...

She was only in her early thirties, and didn't look old at all. Perhaps she wouldn't be considered young in the sixteenth century, but in the world Liu Yun lived in in her previous life, she was definitely in the prime of her life as an elite woman.

"Ahem... How could Madam be old? If we went out together, no one would doubt that she was my younger sister." To ease the heavy atmosphere, Liu Yun jokingly chimed in before bowing formally and saying, "I have come here today to ask for your help."

Lady Guidie was quite surprised by Liuyun's words, even slightly flustered and shy, but she quickly recovered and returned to her domineering CEO persona, smiling gracefully: "If it weren't for you last night, Ningning might have met with misfortune. For this reason, I will help you no matter what. Please tell me, is there something you want to do within the Oda family?"

Liu Yun immediately shook his head: "That's not the case. I came here today to ask you... or rather, to ask the 'Bathhouse Yokai' under your command if there is a great yokai in the Kyoto area who is known as 'Lord One-Eyed'?"

"Lord One-Eyed?" Upon hearing this name, Lady Guidie immediately frowned. "That's a very ominous title! How did you hear about it?"

Liu Yun replied, "I heard from some friends that this 'One-Eyed Lord' is nearing the end of his life, and the method he has announced for choosing a successor is—whoever can defeat me will inherit his mantle. As a result, many monsters have recently been attacking my territory!"

Lady Guidie questioned, "It seems that they are not genuinely looking for a successor, but just want to cause you trouble."

Liu Yun immediately nodded: "That's what I was thinking too. So when I got to Kyoto, I wanted to find that guy and ask him what grudge I had against him."

Lady Guidie pondered for a while and slowly said, "I have indeed heard of this 'One-Eyed Lord' and know a little about him. But how exactly can I find him... Well, among my late father's former subordinates, there is an old soldier who, although weak, has lived for 1,200 years. As long as the monster you mentioned is indeed living in seclusion in Kyoto, we will definitely be able to find him."

Liu Yun breathed a sigh of relief and said happily, "I am extremely grateful!"

Chapter 151 The Demon-Chasing Operation in Kyoto (Part 2)

Lady Kicho took out the oil bottle as a token, just like last time, and summoned a monster that was only a foot tall and looked like a giant frog. She introduced it as, "This is Mr. Enuma, who has lived in Kyoto for 1,200 years. There is nothing that he does not know."

Liu Yun was amazed when he saw it.

Not only can you not judge a book by its cover, but you probably can't judge a demon by its appearance either.

Who would have thought that this giant frog, which is a foot long and looks no more formidable than the others, could live for 1,200 years!

He quickly and politely raised his question.

The large frog, whom Lady Kicho called "Mr. Enuma," was summoned from the well. He looked sleepy and old, grumbling and mumbling for a long time before finally speaking slowly and deliberately: "Lord One-Eyed, I've heard he's incredibly terrifying… He must be a very, very old fellow! Although a little younger than me. The time he became active… I remember it was around six or eight hundred years after the imperial court moved from Nara to Kyoto? I can't remember…"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun thought to himself, "As expected, long-lived people like to ramble on about the past rather than answer questions directly!"

However, to show respect for the elder, we refrained from urging him and listened quietly.

After a while, the giant frog relaxed its breathing and slowly continued, "Back then, the holy monk Jianzhen had just passed away, and the official attitude towards demons was somewhat chaotic, with endless disputes. There were 'extermination factions,' 'integration factions,' and 'status quo factions.' That so-called 'One-Eyed Lord' took advantage of this chaos, colluded with powerful figures in the court, and became a formidable demon... I forgot to mention, back then, it wasn't just samurai like you who were in charge. At that time, there were hundreds of powerful Onmyoji among the court officials, and monks and priests hadn't neglected their magic. The strongest warrior, Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, was completely loyal to the imperial family..."

Liu Yun remained patient and continued to listen.

The giant frog recounted ancient tales for a long time, finally getting to the point before slowly and deliberately getting to the heart of the matter: "You all know that the imperial court moved from Heijō-kyō in Nara to Heian-kyō in Kyoto, right? But actually, it wasn't a direct relocation of the capital; there was a ten-year transition period in 'Nagaoka-kyō.' The 'One-Eyed Lord' you mentioned was a yokai that rose to prominence during the Nagaoka-kyō period, so his lair was also in the Nagaoka region. You definitely won't find him no matter how hard you look in Kyoto."

Liu Yun was overjoyed upon hearing this, finally obtaining some useful information.

He quickly followed up with, "Once we get to Nagaoka, how do we find it?"

"Hmm..." The giant frog hesitated for a moment upon seeing this, then slowly said, "According to what I've heard, the reason this 'One-Eyed Lord' has disappeared is because he killed all the monsters who leaked information..."

Lady Guicho looked disdainful upon hearing this and asked, "Does that guy have the ability to wipe out all the yokai in our bathhouse?"

The big frog hesitated for a moment, then shook its large, emerald-green head timidly and said, "It's not that bad..."

Lady Guidie then waved her sleeve, raised her head, and said with a sigh, "Since that's the case, why be afraid?"

"Hmm... Since you've said so, Miss..." The big frog, its eyes drooping, laboriously crawled to Liu Yun's side with its four old arms and legs, and said in a low voice, "In the Nagaoka region, there is a temple called Kaiinji. Not long ago—probably during the Onin War—it was burned down. But there are still people taking care of the ruins. Go to the ruins and do something, make as much noise as possible, and attract the guarding monsters out. Perhaps you can find out the whereabouts of 'Lord One-Eyed'... I'm sorry, that's all I know."

“That’s enough.” Liu Yun expressed his sincere gratitude: “Fortunately, I met a learned elder like Mr. Jiang Nu, otherwise, I would have been completely clueless.”

The big frog, known as "Mr. Enuma," puffed out its cheeks and sighed twice. Without saying anything polite, it slowly crawled back into the well in the yard.

Lady Guidie, who was standing nearby, was somewhat dissatisfied. She shook her head and said, "If it weren't for Lord Liuyun saving Ningning last night, the consequences would have been unimaginable, and I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. Providing a piece of information that may not be reliable is really not enough to express my gratitude."

Liu Yun smiled and said, "But this information is really important to me."

Lady Guidie nodded and pondered for a moment before raising her head and suggesting, "Why don't I take my sword and go to Changgang with Lord Liuyun? If we encounter a situation where battle is needed, I can lend you a hand."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun immediately refused: "No, no! Madam, what is your status? How can you so easily make such a move?"

Lady Guicho smiled upon hearing this and gestured in all directions: "The mistress of the Oda family does indeed sound like someone of status. But look, haven't I always lived in this remote and simple little temple? I've grown accustomed to concealing my identity."

Liu Yun thought to himself, "That makes sense. They don't care about pomp and circumstance anyway."

Whether they care or not is their business.