Swallow Return

"Hmm?" The tengu was furious at first, then sneered: "Hmph, it's been years since anyone dared to speak to me like that. You've got some backbone after all!"

Liu Yun didn't take it seriously and showed no sign of backing down.

Just as the atmosphere became tense, Imai Munehisa stepped forward.

As a wealthy merchant, he was clearly worldly-wise and not particularly afraid of the Karasu Tengu. He stepped forward with a smile and said, "Lord Karasu Tengu, please calm down. You should know that this Lord Sasaki Ryuun is a rising retainer of the Oda clan and should not be offended lightly. I am Imai Munehisa of the Sakai-cho Association, and I have some influence. If there is any misunderstanding, I can help you resolve it... May I ask, Lord Karasu Tengu, which temple or shrine are you representing?"

The tengu glanced at him and showed him a token in his hand.

Imai Munehisa looked closely and exclaimed in surprise, "Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei?!"

Then his face turned ashen, his eyes widened in disbelief, and his legs went weak. He stumbled back several steps, and if it weren't for the guards on either side supporting him, he would have almost fallen to the ground.

The tengu then revealed a satisfied smile, slowly putting away the token in his hand, and said with a swaying head, "What are the rising stars of the Oda clan? Even if Nobunaga himself came, wouldn't he obediently kneel and pay his respects before Prince Kakushu of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei?"

Prince Kakushu was the abbot of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei and the head of the Tendai sect.

Jue Shu is his Dharma name. The title "Prince Fa" indicates that before becoming a monk, he was a member of the royal family and had imperial blood.

Of course, the imperial family has been in decline for many years, so this is not a reliable indicator. Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei wasn't powerful because a member of the imperial family was its abbot. On the contrary, it was because the imperial family was so powerful that only a member of the imperial family was qualified to be abbot. In reality, it was merely a figurehead; the real power lay in the hands of the local officials.

This temple, known as the foremost Buddhist temple in Japan, has always been extremely popular with worshippers. Its founder, Saichō, is considered to be a successor to the revered monk Jianzhen.

Because there was never a shortage of wealthy people among the believers, and over the centuries of receiving donations, Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei has accumulated countless monastic properties, maintained numerous thugs, and cultivated relationships with many powerful figures.

Throughout the land, hundreds of monasteries voluntarily or involuntarily became the "subordinate temples" of Enryaku-ji, that is, their subordinates who paid tribute and submitted to the emperor.

This combined power is probably no less than that of a daimyo with a million koku of rice.

Therefore, once the details of the tengu were revealed, Imai Munehisa, who had been chatting and laughing just moments before, immediately became a terrified little mouse, saying with a worried expression, "Since it concerns Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei, Lord Ryuun, please forgive me... please forgive this small merchant, for being powerless to interfere."

Despite having dozens of vehicles and a team of hundreds of people, he was so frightened by this tengu that he dared only to call himself a "small businessman."

At this moment, Qing Tianfang also hunched his shoulders and clenched his fists, extremely wary. The five peasant soldiers huddled together, trembling, not daring to utter a sound.

The six characters "Enryaku-ji Temple of Mount Hiei" are truly astonishing, and are known to everyone from wealthy merchants to ordinary people.

Only Liu Yun, after listening to the crow-like dog's self-reported origins—and after listening several times to confirm that there was no mistake—suddenly laughed without warning.

The tengu was instantly enraged, yet also utterly bewildered: "What... what are you laughing at? How dare you be so insolent in front of the Enryakuji envoy?"

Then Ryuun said something completely unrelated: "So Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei hasn't been burned down yet!"

This statement left everyone bewildered and puzzled.

The tengu frowned and thought for a moment, but couldn't figure it out. Feeling as if he had been looked down upon, he glared at the enemy and said angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting?!"

Liu Yun calmly shook his head and said sincerely, "This is not just idle talk. Although I haven't had the honor of visiting yet, I imagine that since Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei is built on a mountain and uses a lot of timber, a fire would definitely cause a major disaster. Therefore, you must always do a good job of fire prevention!"

"Huh? What nonsense? You don't need to worry about it! Let me tell you, even in five hundred years, Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei will not suffer a fire!" The tengu sneered a few times, then waved his hand impatiently, issuing an order: "You lawless bastard, stop talking nonsense and come back with me to explain yourself!"

"Hehe..." Liu Yun's smile disappeared.

He had thoroughly considered the cause and effect.

The black-clad man who belonged to the "Taimanin" claimed to be from a temple or shrine. Aotabo also said that the guy's ability to soften his body resembled a secret technique of the Tendai sect.

Just after they killed the man in black, a tengu appeared, saying he wanted to take him back to Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei, the base of the Tendai sect, for questioning...

The truth is crystal clear!

The appearance of this tengu was clearly intended to retrieve the body of the man in black and prevent certain matters from being exposed.

Liu Yun even suspected that the reason why those "anti-demon ninjas" were able to accurately intercept and kill Oda's transport convoy might be because the Karasu Tengu clan provided intelligence.

Being able to fly gives it an unparalleled advantage in reconnaissance.

The tengu before me are most likely enemies, not friends.

Therefore, Liu Yun's attitude was very direct: "As I just said, I have important matters to attend to and cannot comply."

The tengu's expression changed drastically: "You audacious madman, do you even know who our Enryaku-ji Temple is on Mount Hiei... Hey, stop right there! Who gave you permission to leave!"

Liu Yun ignored him and continued to urge his horse forward.

Although Qing Tianfang and the five peasant soldiers were terrified, they followed cautiously behind their lord, seeing his demeanor.

Upon seeing this, the tengu flew into a rage, his voice distorted: "You...you bastard, stop right now! Obediently come back to the temple with me to await your punishment!"

The drifting clouds remained oblivious.

Qingtianfang and the five peasant soldiers became increasingly alarmed.

The Tengu pulled an iron rod from behind his back and slammed it heavily onto the ground: "If you don't stop, I'll have to take action!"

The clouds remained deaf to their pleas.

Qingtianfang seemed to have discovered something; his expression wasn't so frightened, but rather confused.

The five peasant soldiers were so frightened they could barely move.

After a while, the tengu, enraged, roared, "How dare you be so audacious! I've tolerated you for too long. If you don't behave, I'll really have to take action!"

Liu Yun continued to ignore it.

Aotabo breathed a sigh of relief and muttered to himself, "I used to hear how powerful the Karasu Tengu clan was and how they shouldn't be messed with. But after seeing them today, it seems like they're just good at scaring people... and don't actually dare to lay a hand on them."

Upon hearing this, the five peasant soldiers nodded in agreement, and the pressure eased slightly.

A moment later, the tengu's voice rang out again, tinged with despair: "You...you must believe me, I really will take action! I really, really will! I don't want to use force lightly, I want to give you a chance to explain! Don't get carried away...Hey, are you deaf?!"

Imai Munehisa stared blankly at the tengu's anxious yet hesitant expression for a long time before suddenly getting up and jogging away.

His two loyal guards on either side quickly followed.

Imai Munehisa ran up to Ryuun breathlessly and said with a wry smile, "Lord Ryuun is indeed highly skilled and daring. I admire him greatly. But as a mere merchant, I dare not offend Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei. I hope you will forgive me for not speaking up for you earlier."

Liu Yun smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "It's only human nature, no need to worry about it."

Imai Munehisa said with embarrassment, "I am truly ashamed. I shall take my leave now."

Liu Yun said, "Farewell."

Imai Munehisa sighed, bowed repeatedly, and then left.

Then, the tengu stood there shouting for a long time, but to no avail. It then spread its wings and flew away, looking disheveled.

Qing Tianfang turned around and shook his head, saying, "That tengu is all talk and no action!"

Liu Yun said calmly, "They probably saw me throwing my sword to kill the enemy from the sky just now, so they were all bark and no bite and dared not offend me."

Aotabo said "Oh," and then said, "That Imai boss seems like an easy person to talk to, but I'm worried that he's too small-time. He clearly has hundreds of subordinates around him, so why is he so subservient?"

Liu Yun glanced at it but did not answer.

It is precisely because they understand the importance and urgency of face versus practical benefits that they can become great businessmen! How can a businessman rely on brute force and violence?

There's no need to explain this to your subordinates.

A moment later, Qing Tianfang said again, "I was thinking, did that crow tengu suddenly appear just now because the head of the man in black in front contained some secret? Are they in cahoots?"

So you're only realizing this now after all this time?

Liu Yun internally complained, but outwardly nodded in approval, saying, "Your guess is very reasonable."

Aotabo immediately panicked: "Could it be that the 'Taimanin' is related to Enryakuji Temple on Mount Hiei? That's bad... That means the Karasu Tengu is an enemy. We should have stopped them earlier!"

Liu Yun laughed and said, "I had this idea for a while, but I was afraid of scaring you, so I gave up."

"This...this..." Qing Tianfang was dumbfounded and speechless.

Like Imai Munehisa, he felt that Enryakuji Temple on Mount Hiei should not be offended lightly. But now it seemed that the other side had sent their "Taimanin" to their door, and they couldn't just sit and wait to be killed.

But what should we do?

Liu Yun, riding his horse, looked calm and seemed to have already made up his mind, but he didn't say it. He only urged, "We've been delayed too long. If we don't want to sleep in the open tonight, we need to hurry up."

Chapter Sixteen: The Well and Asagi in the Dilapidated Temple

After entering Omi territory from Mino, the scene on the road changed drastically. The population gradually thinned out, the number of pedestrians decreased sharply, and patrol teams and businessmen could no longer be seen around.

The few commercial areas that exist are all occupied by temples and monasteries, and are characterized by high prices, low quality, and poor service.

They are not afraid of customers' dislike at all, because the number of options available is so small that they have formed a monopoly.

There are often only one decent guesthouse or hostel every ten kilometers or so, so there's really no choice.

Therefore, after a considerable delay, Liu Yun and his group ultimately failed to reach the planned inn before nightfall.

It's not fair to blame the attendants for being lazy; the two hundred strings of Yongle coins were simply too heavy. Weighing nearly two thousand catties, it was impossible for a small cart pulled by a single horse to go very fast.

Liu Yun even considered simply carrying the goods on his own, believing he could manage it based on his past experience.

But then I thought that doing so would deplete my stamina very quickly, and I might encounter something unexpected if I met a slightly stronger enemy on the way.

It's safer to walk slowly.

The Enryaku-ji Temple of Mount Hiei, behind that tengu, was clearly very hostile and wary of the Oda clan. As long as I maintained the ability to abandon my supplies and break out of the encirclement at any time, the other side would not dare to break off relations and launch a full-scale attack.

At most, they will just continue to send those "anti-demon ninja" to attack.

That's not so tricky.

……

As the sun set, Liu Yun and his group arrived at the edge of a small river.

Located next to a main road and close to a water source, this place should have been an ideal living area.

Looking around, all that could be seen were two village ruins, both in disarray with broken wood and crumbling walls, with insects, snakes, birds and beasts roaming among them, and few traces of human activity.

It was clearly caused by war.

Suddenly, dark clouds filled the sky, obscuring the light of the moon and stars, and rain began to fall instantly.

Moreover, the rain was getting heavier and heavier, and soon it was pouring down.

Liu Yun was physically strong, far surpassing ordinary people, and was not afraid of getting wet in the rain. However, he could not only think of himself, but also had to consider the situation of his subordinates and livestock.

He glanced around and saw that among the ruins, only a wooden and stone building resembling a dilapidated temple appeared to be the most intact and could serve as evidence.

He immediately ordered his attendants to go there to take shelter from the wind and rain.

They hurried to the dilapidated temple. In the darkness, they could barely see two dusty wooden doors that were tightly closed. Liu Yun sensed movement inside and heard a faint woman's voice.

He immediately became alert, gripped his nodachi, and reached out to push the door open.

The scene before me was somewhat unexpected.