Swallow Return

Only the head with the nodachi stuck in it looked relatively normal.

At this moment, the five peasant soldiers who accompanied him had recovered from their dizziness.

Liu Yun recalled that before setting off, Maeno Nagayasu had said that the appearance of the demon ninjas resembled that of a fallen general of the Asai clan, named something like "Endo xx".

So he ordered the peasant soldiers to go forward and collect the heads so that they could be taken back for identification.

Five peasant soldiers stepped forward, seemingly quite experienced. Instead of drawing their swords, they first wrapped their hands in gauze, then searched the body of the man in black and found common ninja equipment such as ninja swords, kunai, poison, grappling hooks, and soldier's rations.

Next, he carefully pulled out the nodachi that Liuyun had thrown, and then carefully peeled off her clothes.

The black-clad man's skin and flesh were exposed, so soft it was as if he had no bones, and he instantly relaxed and collapsed.

This situation is truly disgusting.

The attendants presented the nodachi (a type of katana). Liu Yun frowned as he looked at the blackish-red blood and some unidentified white slurry on it and ordered someone to clean it first.

Qing Tianfang stood panting to the side, his face showing considerable apprehension. After hesitating for a long time, he whispered to Liu Yun, "My lord, I think the methods of this man in black are somewhat similar to the 'Taimi's' cultivation techniques."

The term "Tendai-mi" refers to the esoteric teachings transmitted by the Tendai sect, with Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei as its center. The counterpart to this is the "Eastern Esoteric Teachings" of the Shingon sect on Mount Koya.

Liu Yun nodded and wrote down the information.

However, the five peasant soldiers who came from Sasaki Village showed no resistance or fear after witnessing the bloody battle.

As instructed, they cleanly and efficiently cut the man in black's head off his soft, muddy body, smeared it with lime, put it in a cloth bag, and tied it tightly.

It was as calm as handling grain.

When we left Sasaki Village, didn't Lady Iori say that these people were all honest villagers?

Seeing this, Liu Yun couldn't help but ask suspiciously, "You guys are very skilled. It seems you've done this before."

A young man with a small mustache bent down and chuckled, saying, "What you say is right, sir. In the past, when we killed someone's general in battle, we would cut off his head. We've seen it all before."

It turns out that in this era, anyone who has seen blood can be called an "honest villager".

All I can say is—this truly is a chaotic era.

In fact, this was the first time Liu Yun himself had faced the death of a fellow human being—or at least one of them?

But there was absolutely no response.

I've killed nearly a dozen humanoid monsters in the past. Many of them died in a bloody mess, just like normal people.

Although this person is a normal human being, he exudes an eerie aura, and the situation seems not much different from usual.

So when Liu Yun watched his subordinates and followers efficiently dispose of the corpses, he didn't get bogged down in philosophical or ethical issues like other transmigrators in novels.

In contrast, he would rather spend some time thinking about what to do next.

Since the enemy lurking in the shadows has a way of knowing my whereabouts, they probably won't just send one person to intercept me. Perhaps an even stronger enemy will appear later.

It's necessary to be mentally prepared for this.

……

Just as they were collecting the head of the man in black and preparing to continue their journey, they suddenly heard a series of hoofbeats behind them, followed by a cloud of dust.

It appears that a large-scale team has emerged.

Qingtianfang and the five peasant soldiers unconsciously became a little paranoid and tense.

Liu Yun calmly waved his hand to signal them not to panic: "This is the heart of Oda's territory, how could there be hundreds or thousands of bandits here?"

Otherwise, how could Oda Nobunaga, Kinoshita Tokichiro, and their ilk sleep soundly?

Sure enough, after getting closer, it became clear that a large transport convoy was coming from the side road behind.

At a glance, there were forty or fifty trucks, almost all fully loaded. Over a hundred employees, all impeccably dressed, were lined up in a long queue on the road.

He was surrounded by numerous guards, including more than ten mounted men with swords, dozens on foot carrying long spears, and dozens on foot carrying bows and arrows.

Some people carried long, thick, black iron pipes on their shoulders; those should be matchlock guns of this era, or what the Japanese called "iron cannons."

Such a formation was many times larger than Liu Yun's group; at first glance, one might mistake it for the army of some daimyo.

Upon closer inspection, however, no family crest or horse seal was found; only two simple banners were displayed, one inscribed with "Nawu" and the other with "Huihezhong".

In the most conspicuous part of the procession, instead of mounted warriors leading the way, there was a light and ornate sedan chair carried by four burly men.

They quickly noticed Liu Yun's situation and the group stopped.

A young rider spurred his horse forward, head held high, and said arrogantly, "We are businessmen from Sakai Town. The man in the palanquin is the big boss of Naya, Lord Imai Munehisa, the head of the Huihe Clan. May I ask who you are and why there is such thick blood here?"

Upon hearing this, I realized it was a group of merchants.

Based on his knowledge of games from his previous life, Imai Munehisa should have already hooked up with Nobunaga and become Oda's official merchant, enjoying great success.

As a time traveler, Liu Yun had no prejudice against merchants. However, seeing that the other party was not very polite, he was too lazy to talk to him and had no intention of hiding his identity. He gave Qing Tianfang a wink to signal him to answer.

So Qingtianfang spoke up, saying loudly and without any politeness, "We are from Omi. The man on horseback is my master, Lord Liuyun. He was on a mission and encountered thieves on the way, but the matter has been resolved."

The young man who asked the question frowned, seemingly a little dissatisfied and disgusted, but said nothing and turned to ride back.

It seemed like he vaguely said something like, "He must be a country bumpkin if he's never even heard of our boss's name."

Qing Tianfang was about to get angry and start cursing, but Liu Yun stopped him with a look in his eyes.

So they continued on their way.

But after a while, the young man suddenly caught up with him on horseback again.

This time, the man walked closer, turned over, bowed, and said with a friendly smile, "Our boss would like to meet with Lord Liuyun and say hello."

Liu Yun shook his head, ignoring him.

Qing Tianfang felt great and snorted, "They just called us country bumpkins, and now they're greeting us. How strange!"

The young man's face flushed red with anger. He stood up abruptly, turned away on his horse, and rode off.

Liu Yun continued to sit calmly on his horse and walk slowly.

Over this period of time, his riding skills have improved considerably. Although he still cannot gallop, he can now walk normally with relative ease.

A moment later, the young man rode up to Liu Yun again, this time with a deep red handprint on his face.

This time, the man dismounted and immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowing and pleading, "Please forgive us, Lord Liuyun. Our boss would like to come and pay his respects. Please spare a moment!"

Looking back, in the huge caravan, a middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes and living a life of luxury stepped out of his sedan chair and strode quickly toward them.

Two guards followed closely beside him.

Halfway there, the middle-aged man called out loudly, "Lord Ryuun, please wait a moment! I am Imai Munehisa from the Sakai-cho Naya. I have heard of your reputation and have come to pay my respects! I apologize for my poor instruction of the junior earlier!"

This guy was clearly out of shape; he was panting heavily and pale as he walked and shouted, but he still tried his best to quicken his pace.

You can't hit someone who's smiling.

Seeing that this big boss was so polite, Liu Yun dismounted and strode forward to greet him, replying, "I've heard that you are a famous wealthy businessman; I've long admired you."

"Huff—I dare not—huff…I dare not!" Imai Munehisa shook his head repeatedly, panting heavily. "I only have…I only have a little gold and silver, nothing to mention. It is your reputation that I admire!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun immediately became suspicious: "I was still a monk in Oshu last month, and I've only been a layman for ten days. When did I gain fame?"

With the help of his two guards, Imai Munehisa steadied himself, breathed a sigh of relief, and bowed with a smile, saying, "At the beginning of the month, Lord Kinoshita of Yokoyama Castle summoned soldiers from Omi Province to march north and fight against the remnants of the Asai clan. Among the dozens of local families that responded to the call to arms, only the Sasaki family received special favor and treatment. The reason is that Lord Ryūun's martial arts are superb, capable of fighting against hundreds or thousands of people... I wonder if what I said is correct?"

Liu Yun was slightly surprised: "You seem to be very well-informed."

Imai Munehisa, still bowing and smiling, said, "How can a businessman grow big if he doesn't have good information?"

Seeing his respectful demeanor, Liu Yun said, "You are being far too cautious."

Imai Munehisa remained expressionless, shook his head and sighed, "If a business grows too big, how can it be protected if we're not careful?"

Liu Yun nodded in agreement: "Boss Imai is a really smart man."

"Hehe..." Imai Munehisa's eyes darted around, and he said, "Lord Ryuun must be on a secret mission, traveling here. I dare not disturb you, and I will take my leave immediately!"

Liu Yun thought to himself that this person was quite interesting.

He received news as soon as someone showed promise. And he treated these newcomers with utmost courtesy, never offending them.

It's no wonder that someone so meticulous can become a wealthy businessman.

Merchants typically paved the way for their dealings with samurai with gifts. For example, when Imai Munehisa was trying to curry favor with Oda Nobunaga, he presented him with a priceless tea set worth thousands of kan (a unit of currency).

But at this moment, Imai Munehisa showed no intention of giving a gift.

This actually made Liu Yun feel quite comfortable, as he was the type of person who didn't like to easily owe favors to others.

Upon closer reflection, perhaps Imai Munehisa discerned his own personality from certain details, which is why he never mentioned it.

—Liu Yun vaguely had this idea.

They exchanged greetings and were about to say goodbye.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound came from the sky, and a flying creature landed on the ground.

Upon closer inspection, the creature had a human body and limbs, as well as crow-like wings, claws, and a sharp beak.

Isn't this one of those monsters called "Karasu Tengu"?

Why did you suddenly appear?

Chapter Fifteen: The Karasu Tengu of Mount Hiei

"Is it a tengu clan?" Upon seeing this monster that suddenly descended from the sky, Aotabo's expression immediately changed.

Liu Yun, puzzled, looked at him in inquiry.

Aotabo whispered, "I've heard that the Karasu Tengu clan is quite special among yokai. They were subdued by the holy monk Jianzhen eight hundred years ago, and since then they have served as messengers of Buddhism, responsible for hunting down evil yokai. They rarely show themselves, but when they do, they strike ruthlessly..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun thought to himself, "This is quite a lot of information. So, in this world of supernatural beings and strange phenomena, the monk Jianzhen has done something incredibly awesome."

The tengu glanced at Aotabo and said disdainfully, "Another foolish yokai caught up in human conflict... Never mind, don't be afraid, I'm not here for your sake today!"

Liu Yun thought to himself, "This guy can tell at a glance that Qing Tianfang is a monster, which is quite impressive."

The claim that "Jianzhen helped supervise the world" might actually be true.

Then the tengu turned to look at Liuyun, his expression serious, and said sternly, "Just now, I saw from afar that your team was fighting with someone. What exactly happened?"

Liu Yun didn't take it seriously and lazily replied, "Someone was robbing me; I was just defending myself."

The tengu was displeased upon hearing this and said in a harsh voice, "Whether it was self-defense or not is not for you to say; I, the envoy, must investigate before it can be considered! The person you killed is related to our temple. In order to clarify right and wrong, please come back with me and we will discuss it in detail!"

Without a second thought, Liu Yun refused outright: "I have important matters to attend to and cannot comply."