Swallow Return

Logically speaking, even the most ill-tempered person would be too embarrassed to continue causing trouble at this point, unless they were deliberately there to pick a fight.

Unfortunately, Liu Yun came today with the intention of causing trouble and creating chaos.

He had something important to say, but if he were to say it directly now, it would just feel out of place and would lose its impact.

After thinking for a moment, he arrogantly said, "Just now when I came to your Guangzheng Temple, I saw that young, fair-skinned monk at the entrance wasn't wearing a monk's hat, so I gave him a good scolding. Who told him not to wear a hat?"

Upon hearing this, the old monk nodded without hesitation: "Lord Sasaki is absolutely right! Who told him not to wear a hat? He deserves to be taught a lesson! Well done!"

Liu Yun smiled slightly and said, "Then I went inside and saw a fat, dark-skinned monk wearing a monk's hat, so I taught him a lesson. Who told him to wear a hat?"

The old monk was silent for a moment, his face twitched a few times, and then he gave a sincere smile: "You're right! Who made him wear a hat? The young, fair-skinned monk should have worn a hat but didn't, and the dark-skinned, fat monk shouldn't have worn a hat but did. They both deserve to be taught a lesson! Your intervention just now was exactly what taught them how to be human! Thank you, thank you so much! Thank you, Lord Sasaki, for disciplining my disciples on my behalf!"

After speaking, he bowed deeply in a deep salute.

Then the old monk said to his disciples, "You should all sincerely thank Lord Sasaki for his good deeds in teaching us how to be good people."

Liu Yun was stunned once again.

Moreover, a sense of admiration arose in my heart.

You old monk, aren't you being far too patient?

You can actually accept something like, "I'll make you stop wearing a hat," without even trying?

I have some doubts. Is he a long-lost relative of Tokugawa Ieyasu?

However, no matter how patient the old monk was, it was only he who could endure it. The group of disciples surrounding him were not so forgiving.

To suffer such humiliation and be forced to kneel and kowtow in gratitude—anyone with a backbone would find it unbearable!

If it weren't for the fat, black man who had been beaten down still groaning on the sidelines, they would have already made their move.

Some of these young monks were furious, some were heartbroken, some were sobbing and wiping away tears, and some were sighing deeply.

But none of them dared to step forward.

Some... had flushed faces and were dazed, their bodies limp and powerless, staring at Liu Yun with infatuated smiles.

Wait, what's with the last one?

Hey, officer! There's a pervert here!

Liu Yun felt a chill run down his spine and lost all interest in arguing. He coughed and said, "Besides the important matter of whether or not to wear a hat, there is a small matter I need to tell you all."

The old monk smiled obsequiously and said, "Please give your instructions, and I will remember them forever and never forget them for a moment."

Liu Yun said slowly and deliberately, "I am the lord of Sasaki Village. I am planning to build a temple in the village. I heard that you have some objections?"

"This……"

The old monk was shocked and put in a very difficult position upon hearing this.

Just now, when he was told "I'll teach you to not wear a hat," he accepted that humiliation with a smile.

But when it comes to the issue of repairing the temple, their attitude has completely changed.

It seems that this old monk is someone who doesn't care about face or vanity, but only about practical benefits.

You can slap him in the face any way you want, but you can't cut off his source of income.

This person should believe in the god of commerce.

The old monk stammered and hesitated for a long time before finally speaking cautiously to Liuyun: "This matter... this matter is not something I can decide. It's... it's an order from Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei, saying that no sect may establish a new temple in any of the twenty-three nearby villages without permission... I... I would never dare to obstruct Sasaki Village's affairs, but I'm afraid I won't be able to explain it to my superiors..."

This was exactly the effect Liu Yun wanted. He immediately gripped the hilt of his sword and said coldly, "I don't care how you explain yourself in front of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei, but if anyone dares to cause trouble in Sasaki Village again—I'm afraid you won't have the chance to explain yourself in the future."

After hesitating for a long time, the old monk slowly said, "Our temple has dozens of monks who chant scriptures and worship Buddha all day long. They have never done anything wrong. They are just ordinary people who dare not offend anyone, so why are you pressing us so hard?"

"Never done anything evil?" Liu Yun scoffed upon hearing this. He raised the tree branch he had just used as a weapon and casually threw it. With a "whoosh," it shattered the window of a side room.

Then a scream was heard, and a disheveled woman ran out trembling, clearly a female visitor to the temple to offer incense.

Upon seeing this, the old monk's face immediately turned extremely pained, and he closed his eyes, unable to speak.

Liu Yun then spoke, saying, "I have heard of many of your evil deeds, and they are far more numerous than this. It is said that those who flatter their superiors often bully their inferiors. You can tolerate my humiliation today, but have you humiliated innocent people in the past?"

The old monk lowered his head and remained silent.

Liu Yun then listed the things he had learned in Sasaki Village the day before.

With each statement, the old monk's imposing manner weakened, until finally he almost shrank into the ground.

If it were simply a matter of bullying and oppressing the common people, it wouldn't be a big deal. But at the same time, it undoubtedly infringed upon the interests of the samurai.

Liu Yun said a few words, then suddenly shook his head, his interest waning, and said, "I'm too lazy to care about other things. But if anyone dares to obstruct the temple construction in Sasaki Village again—"

As he spoke, Liu Yun looked around and observed the surroundings.

The temple courtyard uses a "dry landscape" layout, with no ponds or greenery, relying solely on sand and stones to create the landscape.

Liu Yun then spurred his horse forward, held his breath, and swung his sword, cleaving a stone more than a foot tall into two clean pieces. He turned to the monk and said, "Anyone who tries to stop me will face this stone!"

The old monk stared wide-eyed, speechless, at a loss for words.

Half of the disciples around him were so frightened that they sat down on the ground.

Just now, Liu Yun cleanly and swiftly defeated the fat, dark-skinned monk who was the most skilled in martial arts in the temple. Although the monks were afraid of him, their fear was not profound.

They always thought that if they went back to Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei for help, they could get their revenge.

But splitting the boulder is a different story altogether.

Even within Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei, there are probably only a handful of powerful individuals with such abilities.

Liu Yun said no more, turned his horse around and left.

He didn't even dismount from his horse once from beginning to end.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Iori's Resolve

As mentioned earlier, the land on both sides of Guangzheng Temple was rented to merchants for business, with grain shops on one side and cloth shops and clothing stores on the other.

Just now, Liuyun rode his horse into the temple and made quite a commotion.

Especially the part where he splits the rock.

It's impossible for the shop assistants and customers on both sides not to hear it.

After he finished, he rode out on horseback and found that a lot of ignorant onlookers had gathered at the entrance, all craning their necks to look inside.

Upon seeing Liu Yun emerge, the onlookers scattered in an instant, keeping their distance and not daring to provoke him.

But some bold people, from a distance of ten or twenty steps, would secretly cast curious glances their way.

Seeing this, Liu Yun had an idea. He pulled on the reins, stopped, looked around, and said arrogantly, "I am Liu Yun, the new leader of Sasaki Village. I came here specifically to deal with those meddlesome bald monks from the Koshoji Temple. I have no time to deal with others, so this is none of your business!"

After saying that, he swaggered away.

A group of onlookers with varying expressions were left behind.

With these days of experience, Liuyun's riding skills have improved more and more.

Now, sitting on horseback and slowly strolling along country lanes, I've become quite adept at it. The swaying and rocking is like a rocking chair, and I find it quite enjoyable, no longer a burden.

They returned to Sasaki Village at noon.

Generally speaking, villagers do not eat lunch. Samurai only have extra meals during battles.

But Liu Yun always maintained the habit of eating three meals a day.

Back in Oshu, in that remote, impoverished temple, my fellow disciples and I only ate two meals a day, so we had to prepare our own lunch every day. We'd hunt wild rabbits and pheasants, roast them, sprinkle some coarse salt on them, and they tasted pretty good.

Now that I am a lord, it is easy for me to go from frugality to extravagance, and a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen.

Have the servant warm a little sake, and serve it with rice cakes with vinegar and kelp sauce. It's not exactly a gourmet meal, but it's enough to fill your stomach.

Before the meal, Liu Yun gave the order: That ignorant Guangzheng Temple official has already been taught a lesson, and he probably won't dare to gossip again. If he dares to come again, he'll be dealt with by swords, spears, and clubs.

Eguchi Sukezaemon and Aotabo were both thrilled to hear this and echoed, "What talk of Mount Hiei and Enryaku-ji Temple? It turns out they're just boasting and don't actually dare to do anything."

The old monk Xinghe and the young monk Suifeng felt that this was a bit domineering and not very good. But since the other party had offended them first, Liuyun's slightly overreaction was understandable.

The situation was one of joy and harmony.

……

Only Lady Iori sat pacing back and forth, her face full of worry.

Seeing Liu Yun's resolute attitude, yet finding it inconvenient to speak.

She could only console herself by saying that at least there was a man who could make decisions, which was much better than having no one to go after her family line ended.

Although she is currently in a state of "worse than a beast," this is something that Iori is very concerned about—not because she has been longing for Lin for a long time, but because she is worried about the instability of her position, just like Liuyun.

After all, aside from that matter, Iori didn't know what else could truly hold a man captive.

Will you be a good wife?

I had heard rumors that Nobunaga of the Oda clan and his wife, Kicho, were not very close and rarely spent time together in the same room, but in public they acted as a harmonious couple, putting on a show of affection...

Thinking of this, Iori suddenly remembered that she had almost forgotten the important matter.

She quickly said to Ryuun, "There is something I need to report to you. Yesterday, Hayami Kiyobei's wife visited me and expressed her apologies. She is still willing to serve the Sasaki family."

Liu Yun didn't react at first when she heard this.

Who is Hayami Seibei?

On second thought, he remembered that it was the Sasaki retainer who planned to pledge allegiance to Kinoshita Tokichiro.

Originally sent to Yokoyama Castle to gather information, the guy not only secretly changed his stance, but also came back to persuade Lady Iori to marry Kinoshita as a concubine.

When they first arrived in Sasaki Village, Hayami Seibei even jumped out and said things like, "How can a monk who has just left the monastic life and doesn't know martial arts inherit the family business?"

As a result, Liu Yun played the role of Tony the hairdresser, cutting off the guy's hair and making him so ashamed that he couldn't show his face.

Then, he originally intended to kick her out of the house, but after hearing Mrs. Iori say that "talented people are hard to come by," he decided to keep her for the time being and see how she would behave.

It's only been a few days, and you've already bowed your head and given in?

It's not that great.

Liu Yun still felt quite disgusted when he thought of Hayami Seibei.

An offense made upon first meeting can be overlooked.

However, it was infuriating that they actually suggested Iori become Kinoshita Tokichiro's concubine.