Swallow Return

For some reason, he was particularly unwilling to show any weakness or cowardice when facing Lady Guidie.

So Liu Yun stood up solemnly and said firmly, "Don't worry, I will be fine and will be able to meet you safely next time."

Upon seeing this, Gui Die's worried expression eased slightly. She forced a smile, neither saying she believed nor disbelieved, and turned to walk away.

Then Ningning slowly approached, a warm smile on her face.

The two ladies seemed to be intentionally keeping a certain distance, especially in front of Liu Yun.

Ningning's meaning was similar to Guichao's, conveying the message of "take care." However, she added an extra, subtle reminder at the end, implying that if anything went wrong, they could come to Nagahama Castle and ask Hashiba Hideyoshi for help.

That's a viable solution.

Logically and emotionally, Hideyoshi would never openly defy Nobunaga, but given his current status and power, it would be easy for him to engage in some underhanded tactics.

Even if Monkey King isn't up to par, Takenaka Shigeharu might be reliable.

In front of Madam Ningning, Liu Yun had no intention of showing off or being competitive. He smiled and nodded, saying, "If things really get out of control, we might really need our elder brother and sister's protection for a while!"

However, while outwardly agreeing, he secretly felt that it was best not to trouble Brother Monkey unless absolutely necessary.

So as not to leave people caught in the middle, torn between fulfilling their loyalty as subjects and their duty as friends.

Following the two ladies, Miss Oichi, accompanied by three little girls, gracefully came up to offer her greetings.

Liu Yun felt inexplicably uneasy and quickly bowed first, his attitude being both very respectful and somewhat distant.

Miss Oichi's face already bore a lingering look of resentment and melancholy. Seeing this aloof attitude, she became even more disappointed. She didn't get too close, but bowed from several steps away and said softly, "Thank you, Lord Sasaki, for taking action last night to repel the monster that suddenly attacked. Otherwise, Oichi and the children would probably have met with misfortune."

Liu Yun replied indifferently, "It's my duty."

He then fell silent.

The two looked at each other in silence for a while.

Then, urged by their mothers, the girls thanked them one by one.

Three-year-old Xiao Du is still quite naive, his pronunciation is unclear, and he is very cute as he hops around and babbles.

Six-year-old Achu was the most sensible, her eyes shining with sincere gratitude as she bowed respectfully.

Nine-year-old Chacha seemed a little reluctant to leave. After giving a few perfunctory replies, she couldn't wait to ask, "Uncle Sasaki, I heard that Azuchi Castle is almost finished. Many retainers will move in then, including you?"

Liu Yun was taken aback upon hearing this.

He had only heard recently that construction had begun on Azuchi Castle, but he didn't know if it was almost finished.

They were also unaware that "many retainers would be moving in."

I was a bit surprised to get this information from nine-year-old Chacha today, rather than from any official channels.

Was it because I was out of the loop, or did little Chacha accidentally leak a secret?

Seeing this, Lady Oichi quickly explained, "It's like this, Lord Sasaki... My brother's Azuchi Castle in southern Omi is indeed nearing completion. It's said to be able to accommodate a total of 5,000 samurai and 30,000 soldiers, so many retainers will move in to live together... This isn't exactly a secret, so it should be announced soon!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun understood.

The so-called "retainers living together" was an important means used by daimyo to strengthen centralized power.

Samurai, having lived in cities for extended periods and severed ties with the towns and villages at the grassroots level, gradually lost their privilege of acting independently within their territories and transformed into employees receiving stipends.

Only a few retainers who were given independent responsibilities or enjoyed special privileges were exempt from this policy.

In fact, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi was in charge of northern Omi, he had already organized a small-scale "retainer gathering".

However, at that time, Liuyun received special treatment and did not have to move into the city.

Now that Oda Nobunaga has taken action, the situation may be different.

Especially after rejecting the marriage proposal, it's unclear how they will react...

If they were truly forced to move to Azuchi Castle, it would mean their family's lives would be in Nobunaga's hands. If this angered the Demon King, they could be caught in the crossfire.

This is a bit troublesome...

Various thoughts flashed through Liu Yun's mind, but he didn't show it on the surface. He just smiled and replied, "I see. Thank you for informing me, Miss Oichi. As for whether I stay in the territory or move to Azuchi Castle, that is of course up to Lord Oda (Nobunaga) to decide."

"Uncle Sasaki is so powerful, he must have been allocated a large mansion near the castle tower!" Nine-year-old Chacha blinked her eyes and fantasized. "Then it would be so convenient to meet you, and I could learn martial arts from you! Actually, Chacha has always wanted to learn martial arts, but the people around her are either not qualified to be her masters, or they refuse to teach girls... I heard from Lady Kicho that Uncle Sasaki is the most powerful person in the world, and he has no prejudice against girls wielding swords. He's much better than those pretentious old men..."

The little girl's enthusiastic words were interrupted by her mother.

Miss Oichi clearly lacked Chacha's carefree excitement; the sorrow and self-reproach on her face lingered. Finally, she gazed intently at Ryuun and said softly, "Lord Sasaki, please take care... I will pray for you when I return. Please forgive me for being useless; besides praying, I can do nothing else... No, rather than saying I can't do anything, it's more like I lack the courage to do so... Compared to Sister Kicho, it should be Oichi who pleads with my brother..."

Chapter 271 Preparing to Face Nobunaga's Wrath

A month ago, when I was harvesting the "most fragrant wood in the world," Ranshatai, from the Shosoin Repository of Todai-ji Temple in Nara, I unexpectedly saw a vision of a nine-tailed fox and heard about the "bet" between Oda Nobunaga and me—perhaps it wasn't an accident, but rather something that was planned.

On that day, Liu Yun displayed his skills and was very active, almost single-handedly solving the problem and leading his teammates to successfully obtain the spoils.

It's one thing that Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Tanuki, was somewhat slacking off, but Oda Nobunaga and Hashiba Hideyoshi were completely trapped in the illusion created by Ranshatai, their minds significantly manipulated and confused, unable to escape.

However, Liu Yun did not receive any substantial reward for this outstanding performance.

Aside from obtaining two pieces of orchid for personal use—which was the original purpose of the trip and cannot be considered an extra gain—this was not the only objective.

Instead, due to the involvement of a mysterious "bet," they were presented with an inexplicable marriage proposal.

Nobunaga had Lady Kicho intervene and demanded that Ryuun break off his current marriage with his wife and then marry the widowed Lady Oichi, becoming a prospective member of the Oda clan.

Judging from the situation, it seems that as long as the marriage is completed, he can win the bet with the nine-tailed fox, right?

As for the specific reasons behind this, only those involved probably know.

In short, Liu Yun didn't even try to understand and simply refused without hesitation.

“Iori has done nothing wrong over the years, so naturally he should not be punished in any way.”

This isn't just empty talk; it's a reason from the bottom of my heart.

Since Liu Yun has said this, he is naturally prepared to deal with the trouble that will follow.

Even before Guichao, Nene, Oichi, and the three little girls left, he had already reminded the people of Sasaki House and instructed them to prepare.

The specific reasons are inconvenient to explain, but Ryuun frankly said that it was "his own reasons that angered Prime Minister Oda" and generously advised his retainers to "consider their way out".

Of course, none of the retainers actually went looking for a way out.

The side led by Eguchi Sukezaemon immediately and righteously declared their determination to live and die together.

Liu Yun could tell that a few of them were true and most were false—after all, those who could serve in the Sasaki family now were unlikely to be people with strong will and deep cunning—but he did not show it openly, only smiling to express his satisfaction.

Hayami Seibei and the others were in no hurry to express their opinions, but were very curious about the reason for offending Nobunaga.

Liu Yun did not offer any detailed explanation, only saying, "It's a private matter, not a public one."

These retainers clearly couldn't learn the details of the situation through their own information channels, and could only awkwardly express that they "would definitely stand with the Sasaki family through this difficult time." Their words weren't entirely resolute, but they were certainly much more sincere.

Others, however, are not in a position to find a way out.

For example, Junior Brother Suifeng and Senior Uncle Xinghe.

Logically, if they stay in their small temple and don't get involved in politics, they won't be swayed by worldly forces. However, Nobunaga's style is unpredictable, so it's best to be cautious.

Not to mention Iori, Sara, and Saeko.

They also have some loyal servants with whom they have deep affection, including Aotabo, Kurotabo, and the five little mountain spirits that Torago-no-sen entrusted to them back then.

If things really get to the point of no return, they will need to be placed in a secluded location, and Ryuun will go directly to Oda Nobunaga to try to solve the problem or deal with the person who caused it.

Fortunately, the girls of the Demon Ninja are good at "concealing their identities".

A few days ago, Liu Yun used the fragments of Lan Shedai to remove the mental manipulation effects on Jinghe and Qiushan, allowing them to regain their original clear minds.

Then, Rinko Akiyama regarded all the awakened memories as happiness, and became even more proactive and unrestrained in clinging to them, to the point that Iori, Sara, and Saeko all felt threatened.

This made Liu Yun feel quite guilty, yet also secretly pleased.

Igawa Asagi initially found it hard to accept and wanted to "have some peace and quiet." However, she was now in an emergency and needed to discuss countermeasures urgently, leaving no room for recklessness. The only thing she could do was pretend that nothing out of the ordinary had ever happened between her and Ryuun, and that they were just like-minded companions.

This development was expected, although Liu Yun felt somewhat regretful.

They made no secret of the reason for offending Nobunaga when facing the anti-demon ninja. This was because they hoped these ninjas would serve as a vital force, capable of protecting those involved and relocating them to the shadows when necessary, thus preventing them from being persecuted by the Oda clan.

Somewhat surprisingly, Liu Yun's act of offending the "Demon King" to protect his legal wife greatly increased the girls' favorability towards him.

It's impossible to measure with specific data, but the increase is clearly quite substantial.

Because after she said those words, more than one person immediately asked Igawa Asahi to convey their wish to join the Sasaki family if things settled down in the future.

This also happens to be a response to Sharo's previous suggestion.

This process was quite awkward.

On the one hand, Miss Jinghe wanted to keep her distance from Liuyun and pretend that what happened some time ago had not happened. On the other hand, she also had to consider the lifelong happiness of her team members and dared not delay.

Aside from the fact that he's currently in some danger due to offending Oda Nobunaga, Sasaki Ryuun is, in every respect, the best possible match for the demon ninja girls. She firmly believes this.

Having said all that, Liu Yun could no longer pretend to be confused.

So he gave a very decisive reply: "After the matter is resolved, if you have no objections, then leave everything to me!"

The question of who exactly "you" includes is ambiguous.

In short, Igawa Asahi was shy for a long time before she reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Finally, there is the Nagashima "Shinsengumi," who temporarily recognize Ryuun as their new leader.

Although Sawaki Kosuke currently appears to be very loyal and reliable, Ryuun felt that the two had only known each other for a short time, the foundation of trust was not yet solid, and their goals were not aligned, so he did not bring him onto his side.

Just then, Oda Nobunaga organized a large army to attack the Ikko-shu sect on Nagashima, and ordered them to participate in the battle as ronin mercenaries.

This was originally the platform established by the "Shinsengumi".

In this way, even if something changes in the future, they will not be involved with each other, which will save them a lot of trouble.

It's definitely not because the "Taimanin" are all beautiful young women that they stay by their side, while the "Shinsengumi" are all burly men with questionable interests that they are pushed outside.

The decision was made purely based on practical considerations.

The Shinsengumi were dispatched to participate in the attack on the Ikko-shu sect in Nagashima, but Ryuun himself did not go.

He was not in Oda Nobunaga's army formation, but was called over by Hashiba Hideyoshi, who was in charge of building Azuchi Castle, to help.

Of course, we still have to give Brother Monkey face.

So Liuyun made internal emergency preparations and went to Azuchi Castle, which was not yet fully completed.

It is now a huge construction site with thousands of people gathered there.