Swallow Return

The person in charge of receiving us was an old man named "Wu Jing Xi'an". His hair and beard were mostly white, but he was still worried about his work. He repeatedly reminded us with a furrowed brow, "Recently, that mysterious organization that claims to be the Anti-Demon Ninja is very rampant. Be extra careful on the road."

They are truly dedicated and conscientious.

By searching through his past life's game experiences, Liu Yun vaguely remembered that this person seemed to be a trusted civil official under Oda Nobunaga, with considerable domestic affairs skills, but he knew nothing else about the details.

Takei Yuan also asked in detail about the process of coming here.

When Ryuun mentioned that all the inns and guesthouses in Omi Province were overpriced and of poor quality, Takei Yuan nodded and said, "There are far too many people in the world who use the names of gods and Buddhas to make money. Once Mino and Owari are governed, this kind of thing will not happen. In the future, when we have time, we will also eliminate such bad habits in Omi."

What was said casually was taken to heart by the listener. His offhand remark, falling into the ears of the time traveler who knew the future developments, felt to be extremely informative.

In short, putting aside these minor details, Liu Yun ultimately obtained what she was entitled to.

First came several dozen gold nuggets of varying sizes, totaling two hundred taels of gold. They weren't very heavy, so they were packed in a small wooden box lined with silk and tucked into Qing Tianfang's pocket. The latter, entrusted with such a "heavy responsibility," felt extremely honored and worked with great enthusiasm.

Then came two hundred strings of Yongle coins, which is two hundred thousand copper coins. It's unclear whether they truly came from the Ming Dynasty or were imitations minted by the Japanese. It was quite a large pile, divided into more than a dozen burlap sacks, and placed on a carriage.

I just didn't have the chance to visit Gifu Castle, nor did I see any "historical figures".

I heard that Oda Nobunaga, Shibata Katsuie, Akechi Mitsuhide, and Niwa Nagahide have all gone to fight in various places and are not in Gifu Castle—but even if they were, it would probably be difficult to see them.

Ryuun rested quietly for one night in Nishide Maru, the outermost part of Gifu Castle.

The highest-ranking person I met throughout the entire trip was Takei Yuan—I don't even know exactly how high his rank was.

He wasn't disappointed or angry. Building a career takes time; there's no rush. Once he's famous enough and holds a high enough position, he'll always have the opportunity to interact with the outstanding figures of our time.

On the morning of the fourth day, they embarked on their journey home.

Along the way, the five peasant soldiers simply obeyed orders without thinking about the details of the mission. However, Aotabo, who already considered himself a member of the Sasaki family, clutched the chest of gold coins tightly, his expression quite excited. He muttered to himself, "That night at Yokoyama Castle, I heard that military funds were robbed, and the consequences were very serious. Entrusting such an important mission to Lord Ryuun means he has gained Lord Kinoshita's trust; we're sure to prosper in the future!"

Liu Yun thought to himself that this monster retainer was really simple-minded. Kinoshita Tokichiro might be testing him with this, and he thought he was deeply trusted—but he was too lazy to say it out loud, so as not to dampen his enthusiasm.

……

On the way back, Liu Yun became more vigilant.

The streets are not as deserted as they are in the Omi region, yet the enemy was able to accurately locate the target transporting military funds during the last attack, which must mean they have a hidden intelligence network.

There might be an inside agent.

Having swaggered out of Gifu Castle, he might already be being watched.

It's not the theft itself that's scary, it's having someone eyeing it.

Liu Yun wasn't worried about a direct confrontation—since Maeno Nagayasu was able to escape, it meant the enemy wasn't that formidable, and he could probably handle them.

The worst fear is that this time the enemy will overestimate us and change their strategy, instead of openly robbing us like last time, they will resort to cunning and trickery.

That's not easy to guard against.

However, he soon realized that he had worried unnecessarily.

……

When we stepped into Omi territory from Mino, it was the time of day when we were most likely to feel sleepy. We were in a valley with no village or shop in sight, and there wasn’t a single person in sight.

Liu Yun suddenly waved his hand, ordering his subordinates to stop.

He sensed that an uninvited guest was rapidly approaching.

The newcomers were clearly hostile; they were probably the legendary "Taimanin" who were specifically tasked with opposing the Oda clan.

Sure enough, a moment later, a masked man completely wrapped in black cloth emerged from the woods a hundred paces away.

It's a classic ninja look.

The person appeared unremarkable, yet inexplicably unsettling, exuding an eerie and dangerous aura.

The figure resembled a man, and the first thing he said was a high-pitched, effeminate voice: "You found me from this far away, which is more impressive than that guy from a few days ago. You don't have any repulsive smells, so you're probably not the Demon King's loyal lackeys. As long as you honestly hand over your valuables, we, the Demon Ninja, can be lenient with you and spare your life."

Although the other party did not shout loudly, the volume was extremely loud, coming from a hundred paces away and echoing in the valley for a long time.

It also seems to contain some supernatural power.

Upon hearing these words, the five peasant soldiers felt dizzy and unsteady on their feet, and they all fell down. Some fell backward to the ground, while others fell onto the carriage, causing the copper coins in their cloth bags to rustle.

Aotabo also subconsciously frowned and clenched his fists, seemingly feeling slightly uncomfortable.

The horse also started to move its hooves and neigh restlessly.

Liu Yun didn't feel any impact, but he found the other person's voice a bit disgusting, reminding him of the old eunuchs he had seen in movies and TV dramas in his previous life.

There should be no eunuchs in Japanese history, and it's unknown what this androgynous, freakish guy was all about.

As for the "spare your life" offer, Liu Yun scoffed and didn't answer. He simply dismounted, picked up his katana, and prepared to fight.

"My lord, please let me go into battle!"

At this moment, Qing Tianfang roared, placed the box containing gold on the carriage, strode forward, and stood in front of the horse.

Liu Yun thought that this demon retainer might be able to be dealt with, so he nodded in agreement and said, "Okay."

Seeing this, the masked man in black shook his head, and his hoarse, shrill voice rang out again: "If you don't resist, you won't die. Why can't you understand such a simple truth?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the black figure pounced forward like an arrow released from a bow.

That thing walks faster than a rabbit; if you don't look closely, you'd think it was flying close to the ground.

But even faster than its form were several faint blue glints of cold light.

It appears to be a shuriken coated with poison.

This man in black is truly cunning; he feigns a frontal attack while secretly using concealed weapons.

Seeing this, Qing Tianfang was confident. He let out a low shout, and his fists, which were faintly flashing with light, swung forward.

"Heh!" The black-clad ninja's hoarse voice rang out again: "Trying to block with your bare hands? You're courting death..."

But he immediately found himself unable to speak.

When those shuriken hit Aotabo's fist, they bounced off like rocks with a few "bangs" and landed on the ground.

Immediately, the man in black arrived with a ninja sword.

Qing Tianfang shouted loudly, and golden light shone brightly on his left hand as he met the attack head-on without moving or avoiding it.

The black-clad man's blade struck flesh, but produced a harsh, metallic sound, failing to penetrate even an inch.

Then, Qing Tianfang swung his right arm out like a bronze hammer, striking the enemy hard.

The man in black let out a low groan and flew two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) before crashing into a large tree and landing on the ground. He immediately coughed up blood and screamed in agony.

The sound was neither male nor female, and was very eerie.

Qing Tianfang withdrew his supernatural power, as if he had just exerted himself greatly. He wiped away his sweat and asked, panting heavily, "My lord, what should we do?"

Liu Yun was quite curious about this so-called "Demon-Exorcising Ninja". Looking at the man in black who had fallen to the ground, he said, "Answer me a few questions, and I may consider sparing your life."

However, the other party scoffed and did not answer Liu Yun's question. Showing no fear of death, he simply said in his effeminate and sharp voice, "There are no signs of demonic possession on you. With such superb martial arts skills, why do you not serve the gods and Buddhas, but instead become an accomplice of the demon king?"

"Gods and Buddhas?" Liu Yun caught the key words in the other party's words and pressed, "So, your Demon Ninjas are related to temples and shrines?"

"Heh..." Realizing his mistake, the man in black shut his mouth, his face filled with resentment, and he sneered as he shouted, "There are only anti-demon ninjas killed by the Demon King's lackeys, but there are no anti-demon ninjas who surrender to their enemies!"

After he finished speaking, the man suddenly emitted a thick white mist, flipped himself up, and became even more ferocious and agile than before.

Aotabo's eyes widened, and he activated the "Strong Force" skill again, throwing a punch with all his might.

The man in black did not dodge, but instead went straight to meet him.

Qing Tianfang landed another punch, but unlike last time, it didn't cause any effective damage; it was like hitting a lump of mud without any reaction.

The black-clad man's body, shrouded in white mist, was bent and concave like cotton wool, but showed no signs of injury or exhaustion, still having the strength to prepare for an attack with his ninja sword.

Just moments ago, this person was a mortal who would cough up blood if beaten, but now, with white mist emanating from his body, he seemed to have transformed into a soft, shrinking mud monster.

Slime monsters are naturally not afraid of punches.

When Qing Tianfang's attack failed, he was shocked and widened his eyes, raising his hand to his chest to block his vital points.

But the man in black suddenly stretched his arm to twice its normal length, twisted and turned in the air, and with his ninja sword, he went around to stab Aotabo in the back of the neck.

This is definitely not a movement that a human body could make.

Qingtianfang possessed immense strength but lacked agility, and could only watch helplessly as he was unable to dodge.

At this moment, Liu Yun, who was riding on horseback, made his move.

He drew his nodachi and threw it like a javelin.

In the blink of an eye, it flew over and struck the man in black squarely in the forehead, piercing his head through.

The body, shrouded in white mist and resembling soft mud, immediately collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Qingtianfang escaped with his life, still shaken, and remained speechless for a long time.

Liu Yun glanced at him and said, "I've dealt with monsters that have taken the form of mud before. As long as you're fast enough, you can still cut them down. Fortunately, it worked today too."

Chapter Fourteen: Imai Munehisa's Impeccable Flaws

This man in black, who called himself the "Demon Ninja," despite his extraordinary skills, ultimately lost his life to the "flying knife" thrown by Liu Yun.

Previously, Maeno Nagayasu said that "the opponent did not use any strange or unusual abilities," which was obviously just because he was not strong enough, and the opponent did not need to exert his full strength to defeat him.

Qingtianfang was able to force the men in black to use their most powerful skills.

Fortunately, the flowing clouds were dealt with, and in the end, it was a close call.

However, judging from that guy's tone, it seems there's an organization behind him.

It seems to be related to temples and shrines.

Temples and shrines played a very important role in Japanese history!

We took down the people in this organization today, but who knows if even more powerful people will keep popping up in the future.

By then, dealing with it will probably not be so simple.

Unfortunately, they failed to capture any survivors and were unable to interrogate them.

The details of the "Anti-Demon Ninja" organization can only be investigated slowly in the future.

Liu Yun refocused his attention on the enemy's corpses.

The man in black who could stretch and bend his arms earlier was clearly not a normal person. Now that he's dead, his torso and limbs remain sprawled out like a lump of mud, a truly bizarre sight.

I don't know where he got such strange skills or superpowers.