Swallow Return

In addition, enjoying delicious food for three meals a day is of course a must.

Needless to say, the seafood on Tsushima Island is of high quality and low price. Sea bream, bonito, abalone, lobster, crab, sea bream, clams, beef brisket, and kelp are all readily available, which can completely make up for the relative lack of alcohol and seasonings.

Liu Yun brought several thousand strings of gold and silver with him, so he wasn't worried about spending it all.

In this way, once the cooldown of the Sage state ends, we can continue discussing biological academic issues...

Such a life, day after day and night, can be said to be utterly devoid of anything except for material and physical enjoyment; it is quite empty.

Fortunately, Liu Yun wasn't someone with many spiritual pursuits, so she didn't feel upset about it.

No matter how cold the world may be, the girls' bodies are still warm.

Although there are sometimes playful, half-serious, intentional or unintentional jealousies, they are all harmless and even add a unique charm to the relationship.

……

If the Oda clan were to arrive at Kusuma Island and see Ryuun's figure, they would be greatly alarmed.

According to official propaganda, Sasaki Ryuun had angered Oda Nobunaga with his disrespectful and insolent remarks, and was killed on the spot. His territory was confiscated, his family was expelled, and only a nominal family name remained.

The retainers were temporarily taken in by Hashiba Hideyoshi.

When this news first broke, it was a bombshell that shocked everyone.

How could someone as unparalleled in martial arts as Sasaki Ryuun be killed simply because of his stance and attitude? And more importantly—how could Oda Nobunaga have the ability to kill Sasaki Ryuun in a one-on-one situation?

What a capricious and terrifying demon king he is!

—That's probably what many people think.

That's exactly the effect Oda Nobunaga wanted to achieve.

However, he intends to actually do it.

At the time, Oda Nobunaga never expected that Ryuun would actually cooperate in staging a play, and even be willing to flee overseas.

He not only gave up power and fame, but even abandoned his own family.

This is unimaginable for any samurai, even for a monk who has returned to secular life.

Oda Nobunaga was naturally willing to accept this outcome.

Because he never had the confidence to defeat Liuyun in a one-on-one duel.

To subdue the enemy without fighting is an unexpected and delightful surprise.

And what about Liu Yun's side?

He was certainly not afraid of a duel with Oda Nobunaga.

Since merging with "Long Ship Long Light", Liu Yun's temperament has also undergone a slight change. He has developed a so-called "martial spirit". Even when he encounters an opponent stronger than himself, he will only feel excited and will not feel any fear.

Moreover, at the time he did not think Oda Nobunaga was stronger than himself.

Instead, they were worried that they might accidentally kill the Demon King!

After all, from the perspective of a person of later generations, among the daimyo of the various countries in Japan, Nobunaga was one of the more reliable ones. Although he was involved with monsters and ghosts, the degree and methods he used were much better than those of Takeda Shingen, Honganji Kennyo, and others.

If Oda Nobunaga were killed at this point, it would seem that no one could inherit his vast empire, and the country would most likely remain in chaos, or be unified by someone of even worse character.

That would be very bad.

Why not concede a few steps and let Oda Nobunaga have his way?

In front of Nobunaga, Ryuun used the phrase "peace throughout the land, and prosperity for the people" as his argument. The gist of his statement was that he believed the Demon King could achieve this.

But their inner thoughts were different.

Ryuun explained to Igawa Asagi and the others that they should first observe Nobunaga's words and actions. If he could indeed bring peace to Japan, then so be it. But if he failed to do so and instead brought more disaster, then they would have to deal with him.

At that time, there will be no need to do anything else. Just appear in front of everyone and show that you are not dead, and Oda Nobunaga's prestige will suffer a major blow.

This is also why I have been paying close attention to news from the Kinki region.

In addition, there were some reasons why I left the Oda clan that I could not tell outsiders.

It's about Lady Guidie and Lady Ningning.

Although Liu Yun was a 100% straight man, he wasn't stupid after all, and possessed various special abilities, including a remarkable ability to read people and understand their hearts. He could somewhat sense that an inexplicable and ambiguous relationship had inadvertently developed between him and the two ladies.

At first, he thought it was one of the three great illusions of life.

It's that kind of wishful thinking that often occurs in men: "Does she like me?"

But after careful analysis and repeated reflection, I gradually realized that it might not just be an illusion.

So Liu Yun had no choice but to flee in panic.

Thanks to the corrupt and backward feudal system and culture of the 16th century, in addition to his wife Iori, he could also have Saeko and Sara on his left, Asagi and Rinko on his right, and even take in the girls of the Anti-Mannin Group without any problem. On the contrary, it would be considered a responsible act.

However, "married woman" is a concept on a different level.

Both in the past and in this generation, public opinion condemns this kind of behavior.

Of course, public condemnation doesn't mean that knives can't kill, but Liu Yun couldn't get over that mental hurdle.

To prevent any accidents, leaving immediately is the best course of action.

Therefore, there were multiple reasons why he left the Kinki region and came to live on Tsushima Island.

Chapter 280 Bad News from the Kinki Region

Tsushima Island is about 600-700 kilometers away from Kyoto, the political center of Japan.

If converted using the local units of measurement today, it would be equivalent to 160 li-bu or 5,800 ting-bu.

This only considers a straight line; the actual distance is at least one and a half times that.

The journey of over a thousand kilometers, spanning mountains and oceans, is extremely arduous; moreover, it is a time of warring states and chaos, and the surrounding area is not peaceful. For ordinary people to travel between the two places, it would take at least thirty days one way.

Even for wealthy and powerful officials, who have better conditions than ordinary people, traveling light and quickly by boat and horse, it would still take at least ten or twenty days.

Besides, these days, apart from a very few wanderers who particularly enjoy traveling and want to rack up the "travel the world" achievement, who has nothing better to do than wander around outside all day?

As for caravans laden with goods, they had to pass through many land and water checkpoints controlled by different forces along the way, requiring repeated inventory checks, loading and unloading, which took months to complete.

In the 16th century, when no communication technology existed, this was enough to be described as "being separated by vast distances."

Therefore, after Ryuun moved to Tsushima Island, it was as if he had completely left the world of the Oda family. He could simply adopt an alias and live a peaceful life without worrying about his identity being exposed.

Of course, there were quite a few well-informed people around who had heard of the name "Sasaki Ryuun, the greatest warrior of the Oda clan".

However, information from the Kinki region reached Kyushu through word of mouth, and after countless intentional or unintentional embellishments, it had long since become distorted beyond recognition.

Popular legend says that Sasaki Ryuun is "two zhang tall, with hands eight chi long, three heads and six arms, eyes on his forehead, a face like a demon, a sickle-shaped beard on his belly, flames in his hair, and feet like a lion or tiger." In short, he is a first-rate monster and definitely not human.

It is also said that he was a high-ranking Double Flower Red Staff under the "Demon King", who took the lead and led five thousand demon soldiers to rush into Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei, where he played with and killed the monks and then devoured them all. He was extremely ferocious and evil.

It was also said that he was lustful and audacious, daring to rush into the city while drunk and molest the women of the Oda family, which angered Nobunaga, who killed the prisoners of war of the Nagashima Ikko-shu and used the "Demon King's Sword" to kill them.

These are all stories that are mostly fiction with only a small portion of the truth.

After hearing these stories, Liu Yun knew that it would be difficult to expose his whereabouts.

Even if he were to step forward and say in public, "I am actually Sasaki Ryuun of the Oda clan. I am not dead, but rather living in seclusion here,"

Not many people would believe that.

Tsushima Island is isolated overseas and relies on trade for its livelihood. The nearby northern Kyushu region is in a chaotic situation where various daimyo are constantly fighting each other, and no one has gained an absolute advantage. With the political situation like this, who cares about the appearance of guests of unknown origin?

As long as the gold foil, silver leaves, and Yongle Tongbao coins that are taken out are genuine, that's enough.

This is a good situation for Liuyun.

You don't need to worry about your information being leaked to the Oda clan in the Kinki region.

But on the other hand, it also means that it will be less likely for me to get information from the Oda clan in the Kinki region.

This is not very pleasant.

After all, I'm not really going to Tsushima Island to live in seclusion; I still want to keep an eye on what's happening there.

I had previously told Igawa Asahi that I had not given up on paying attention to the situation in the country, and that once I found that Oda Nobunaga was unreliable, I should take immediate action.

Intelligence sources are still very important!

If one truly shuts themselves off and lives a quiet life, hiding away in a small building to become a self-contained world, they may be very carefree, but it would also seem rather irresponsible.

Fortunately, although Tsushima Island is located in a remote area, it is still a vital hub for maritime trade. It cannot be filled with just idle gossip and rumors; there are always some clear-headed people who know some useful political news.

Distinguishing them from the ordinary, muddled crowd requires time and effort, and may also involve spending money or demonstrating some special skills.

Fortunately, these drifting clouds are not lacking.

……

As is customary, it was a drizzly, overcast afternoon, so much so that many ships were stranded on the shore.

After finishing his conversation with the women for the day, Ryuun, as he had wished, arrested and punished Sara, who was deliberately acting spoiled and causing trouble. To maintain balance, he also used both soft and hard tactics to educate the gloating Igawa Sakura. Only then did he leave the rented mansion, casually holding up an oil-paper umbrella, and arrive at a spacious but simple shop on Tsushima Island. He greeted the doorman in strangely accented Chinese, indicating that he had come to visit as invited.

I didn't speak Japanese, mainly for fun, and also to hide my tracks.

The tone is strange because it has become quite unfamiliar after many years of disuse, and the pronunciation brought over from the previous life is awkward in this era.

But this will not invite ridicule or contempt.

Instead, it only made people feel that he was a mysterious visitor from Da Meng, and they dared not take him lightly.

As a hub of maritime trade, Tsushima Island had no shortage of people who could understand Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Even the doormen of wealthy merchants could hold simple daily conversations in multiple languages. They warmly welcomed Ryuun inside, led him into the reception room, and served him tea.

A short while later, a short, stout, smiling, and shrewd-looking middle-aged merchant emerged.

That is, the owner of this place.

She looks like she is of mixed race, fluent in Korean and Japanese, and can also speak Chinese to a passable degree, though her accent is hard to discern.

On the surface, he appears to be a maritime merchant, but he is actually the illegitimate son of a notorious pirate. After his parents passed away, he could no longer profit from the overseas trade and could only rely on his connections to get by.

Liu Yun observed for a period of time before identifying this target.

This man comes from an extraordinary background and knows many hidden details, but he is outwardly strong but inwardly weak, all show and no substance, and is not a formidable and ruthless leader.

With just a little guidance using supernatural abilities, one can indirectly manipulate their mind.

After taking their seats, Liu Yun exchanged a few pleasantries and then inquired about the surrounding situation.

The middle-aged, short, stout merchant sipped his tea and began to speak slowly, starting with the story of the Joseon king, who was nearing thirty but still weak and unable to control the internal strife and factional strife.