Swallow Return

Following the middle-aged man with the mustache to the depths of the ship's cabin, they surprisingly found a rather quiet tea room, which was completely out of place with the surrounding bloody and rugged environment.

Inside sat a middle-aged woman, not dressed as a merchant, but as a nun with a shaved head and wearing a monk's robe. She had a kind and dignified appearance and was silently chanting something while holding prayer beads.

The middle-aged man with the mustache entered the house, quickly knelt down and crawled inside, bowing his head to the ground and reporting in a low voice. He was trembling with fear the whole time, not daring to utter a single extra breath.

It seems this nun is the highest-ranking member of their chamber of commerce, or at least the highest-ranking member in this area.

That is to say-

The ringleader of these human traffickers who disregard human life is actually a woman, and a Buddhist nun at that.

Liu Yun felt...not at all surprised by this; on the contrary, it was quite reasonable.

After all, this was 16th-century Japan, and religious practitioners were so versatile that they could dabble in anything besides their profession.

After hearing the middle-aged man with the mustache's report, the nun slowly put down her prayer beads, opened her eyes, and looked at the visitor outside the door.

Liu Yun met his gaze and immediately sensed a profound and subtle aura emanating from him.

It seems that the other party is not an ordinary nun, but a powerful being who has achieved great spiritual cultivation and is skilled in magic.

At the same time, Liu Yun did not deliberately conceal himself.

So the old nun must have sensed something, and gradually composed herself, her gaze becoming sharp.

The two sides have a tendency to clash.

However, the old nun was, after all, just a businesswoman. After a brief exchange of glances, she lowered her head, put on a warm smile, and said in a gentle and refined manner, "Is your honored guest going to buy all the goods this time? That's quite a generous offer. I will certainly give you a discount."

Liu Yun had no time for politeness and asked coldly, expressionless, "How much discount can you offer?"

The middle-aged man with a small mustache kneeling to the side frowned in displeasure upon seeing this and gave a soft snort.

The old nun, however, remained unperturbed, her face still beaming, and calmly said, "I originally planned to sell it for three hundred taels of gold, but if you buy it all at once, I'll only charge two hundred and eighty taels! Payment will be made in silver or Yongle Tongbao, and the same rate will apply. However, if it's counterfeit money, there will be an extra 10% deduction."

This price is equivalent to a 3% discount, which is quite reasonable.

But Liu Yun simply shook his head indifferently: "Still too expensive."

The middle-aged man with a mustache, who was kneeling to the side, raised his head, opened his eyes wide, and stared at him, displaying the posture of a loyal dog protecting its master.

The old nun remained calm and nodded, saying, "That's right. Since this is your first time doing business here, and you've already made such a generous offer, this humble monk should give you a gift. How about we reduce the price by another fifteen taels?"

Liu Yun shook his head again: "Fifteen taels is too little."

The middle-aged man with a mustache, kneeling to the side, flew into a rage and looked at his master with his eyes, seemingly implying, "Let's just take action."

The old nun reached out and restrained her subordinate, still smiling broadly, and said with a smile, "With your attitude, it's difficult to do business. After all, this humble monk also has to incur considerable costs. Why don't you tell me the price you're looking for, sir?"

This was just a polite remark.

But Liu Yun pressed on: "May I ask, how much do you mean by 'significant cost'?"

At this point, not only the middle-aged man with the small mustache, but even the old nun couldn't remain calm, and her expression gradually became somewhat unfriendly.

But the look of displeasure on his face only flashed briefly before disappearing, and he quickly returned to his impeccably polite demeanor: "Ah, since you have inquired, it seems necessary to answer. Actually, last month in the Kinki region, I witnessed a daimyo wiping out a local uprising and capturing over ten thousand people... In order to prevent these young children from dying by the sword, I had no choice but to find a powerful minister to buy the young captives at a high price, intending to send them to Kusuma Island to serve as apprentices for various maritime merchants. This trip was not for profit; the profit from charging 150 Yongle coins was extremely meager."

The old nun's soft, melodious voice had a sanctimonious air about it, making it sound like a human trafficker was doing a good deed.

Liu Yun remained unmoved by the other party's words and actions, relentlessly seeking answers: "May I ask, which local uprising is it? Which daimyo sent troops to suppress it? Which important minister did they consult? What was the purchase price?"

"...Isn't your curiosity a bit excessive?"

The old nun's good temper finally wore off, and her tone began to turn unfriendly.

"Please enlighten me."

Liu Yun continued to question from his superior position.

The old nun's face turned gloomy. She reached out and picked up the prayer beads in front of her. A faint golden light emanated from her body, and her aura instantly changed.

Then she raised her head and glared angrily at the uninvited guest before her, loudly proclaiming, "This sacred Buddhist site will not tolerate such behavior..."

The words, which were perhaps a curse, stopped abruptly before they could be finished.

What the old nun saw was a pair of blood-red eyes filled with mysterious power.

She was completely powerless to resist it.

Chapter 283 The Helpless Female Monk

Although Liu Yun's attitude was very impolite, and he had already decided in his heart that this group of human traffickers were all bad people, he still followed some "civilized habits" in his heart. After boarding the ship and meeting the head of the merchant guild, he only questioned him with words and did not use force or release his supernatural power.

On the contrary, the old nun could not restrain herself. She chanted incantations, activated her magic, and summoned a golden halo. It was unclear what form of attack she intended to launch, but it was certain that she was showing hostility.

With Liu Yun's years of combat experience, he was clearly not intimidated by her and immediately took action to subdue her.

Considering the relative strengths of both sides, capturing the old nun before the spell takes effect shouldn't be too difficult.

Even if the opponent's spellcasting is extremely fast and they gain the upper hand, they should be able to hold on.

However, just as Liu Yun was about to make his move, he suddenly felt a surge of heat rising within his body, as if responding to the golden light summoned by the opponent, bursting forth and gushing outwards. It seemed to be automatically protecting its master against external enemies.

His eyes immediately emitted bright red rays.

Liu Yun could use his mind to stop the supernatural power within his body from automatically protecting him, but he seemed capable of winning the fight, so there was clearly no reason for him to do so.

The golden mist that the old nun had summoned and was floating around her was quickly suppressed. Then she herself was enveloped in a red light, her eyes glazed over, her body went limp, and she collapsed in a daze.

The middle-aged man with a mustache who had been kneeling to the side suddenly jumped up in alarm when he saw the situation was not good and tried to run away.

Despite his bulky and short stature, and the restrictive Taoist robes he wore, his movements were surprisingly agile.

Judging by appearance, his physical fitness is at least three to five times that of the average person.

However, it was still nothing compared to Liu Yun, whose physical abilities were thirty to fifty times greater than those of ordinary people.

Liu Yun took two steps to the side, swung his hand, and easily knocked the middle-aged man with the mustache to the ground. Then he focused his gaze and looked over.

After struggling for a while, the other party finally lost his mind.

The entire process took only a blink of an eye, without making any significant noise, and the situation was brought under control.

Not to mention sweating, Liu Yun didn't even take a few extra breaths.

However, he felt a little strange inside.

The middle-aged man with a mustache, dressed in a Taoist robe and looking like a merchant, appeared to be a key member of a human trafficking gang who had some skills, equivalent to a mid-level martial artist. It was quite normal for such a person to be able to withstand the bewitching power for a few seconds, which was consistent with previous understanding.

This kind of ability is inherently less effective against stronger enemies.

Ordinary people can easily subdue them, and then they can issue any unreasonable or even suicidal orders.

Anyone with a little bit of cultivation can struggle, but it's very difficult to completely change their mindset.

Those who are strong enough or have a hard enough mind can withstand the erosion of their spirit and remain completely unaffected.

Since that middle-aged nun was the leader of the Evil Merchant Guild and clearly possessed extraordinary strength, and did not seem to be a weak-willed person, how come she was not as good as one of her lackeys?

Liu Yun didn't quite understand, but he didn't care too much either.

After all, their purpose in coming here was simply to rescue a group of children and, incidentally, to find out the truth about the Kinki region.

So he tied up the unsightly middle-aged man's mustache and threw it aside, then called to the old nun, "Get up, I have a few questions to ask."

After being attacked, the old nun lay on the floor like a dead fish, unresponsive. But upon hearing the order, she nimbly sat up, bowing her head and waiting for command, appearing very obedient.

To be precise, it's not just about obeying orders...

The old nun stared intently at him, her cheeks flushed, her face glowing like a peach blossom, her eyes sparkling with desire, and her breathing rapid, like a female victim drugged by a villain in a bad movie.

Moreover, after that commotion, whether intentionally or unintentionally, her black monk's robe had fallen off, revealing a disheveled white undershirt. The collar and waist were faintly visible, creating a scene reminiscent of the line "Spring colors fill the garden, but cannot be confined; a branch of red apricot blossoms peeks over the wall."

To be honest, although Liu Yun had been referring to her as an "old nun" in his mind, upon closer inspection, she was actually no more than a woman in her thirties or forties. Her maintenance was remarkably effective; she didn't have many wrinkles or excess fat, and her skin and figure were still at their peak. Coupled with her already exquisite features, she was quite admirable overall...

The only unsightly thing is the bald head that reflects light.

However, depending on individual interests, some people may find it interesting.

(After all, there are still quite a few weird perverts in this world...)

However, Liu Yun was always a respectable person, and he was preoccupied with other matters at the moment. He was not moved by the seductive manner of this middle-aged nun and only wanted to ask about serious matters.

With a serious expression and decisive tone, he asked directly, "Where and from whom did you take the two thousand children on the ship?"

"This humble nun is from the Oda family of the Kinki region..."

The old nun's guard was down at this moment. While she answered the questions honestly, she also wiggled her waist and snuggled closer to her owner, like a little pet dog wanting to get close to its owner.

Liu Yun frowned and shouted sternly, "Speak properly! Sit up straight!"

The old nun's face immediately showed a look of resentment and pity, and her eyes instantly became misty. However, she dared not disobey and whispered "Yes, ma'am." She sat up straight and assumed a proper posture before continuing to answer: "I bought them from the Oda family through Mr. Imai Munehisa, the owner of the Sakai-cho Naya. The transaction was made in Sakai-cho for thirty mon per person during the Yongle period."

The purchase price was only thirty Yongle coins, but after spending one or two months to get it to Tsushima Island, the price increased fivefold!

While it's true that this era had numerous checkpoints, inconvenient transportation, and high trade costs, it certainly wasn't this high. Human trafficking was indeed a highly profitable business.

They even said before that they couldn't bear to part with the prisoners of war and therefore bought them at a high price... How ridiculous.

As expected, it has a direct connection to the Oda clan. I met Imai Munehisa once before and thought he was a cautious and respectable businessman, but I didn't expect him to be so ruthless in this unethical business.

While Liu Yun was disgusted, a question arose: "I understand now. Why is it so cheap?"

The old nun was overjoyed to see that Liu Yun's attitude had softened slightly. She smiled broadly, licking her lips and giving him a flirtatious look as she explained, "The samurai gentlemen have never bothered with guarding and imprisoning people themselves, so buying from them has always been profitable. However, there's another reason why I was able to get such a good price this time, hehe..."

Seeing this, Liu Yun frowned again in displeasure, glanced at them coldly, and said in a deep voice, "Hurry up and speak, what are you doing!"

The old nun's mind was already under control. When she was glared at like that, she was like a mouse seeing a wildcat. She was so frightened that her face turned pale, she trembled uncontrollably, and she knelt on the ground, sweating profusely. At the same time, there seemed to be a strange sense of satisfaction and comfort between her brows...

Then she quickly explained and continued, "It was the Oda clan that suppressed the Iga people's uprising. Rumor has it that Lord Ufu (Oda Nobunaga) used ruthless methods, and 100,000 men, women, and children in the area were all killed. 30,000 to 40,000 were slaughtered on the spot, and the rest were all captured. Some were forced into hard labor, and some were sold off. I got the goods through the owner of the Naya, Imai Munehisa."

Having already anticipated this, Liu Yun was not surprised by the atrocity. He simply sighed and thought to himself, "So Oda Nobunaga has become the Minister of the Right and can be called the 'Minister of the Right'?"

Does that mean we're already very close to being in a position where everyone in the world can be with us?

Liu Yun then inquired about the specific circumstances of the uprising of the Iga people.

The old nun gradually became dazed and lost in thought, her whole body weak. Out of obedience, she still mustered her strength and said, "This humble nun has always only traveled in the sea areas of the San'in and San'yō routes, and at most has only reached Sakai-cho. She does not know the details of the Kinki region."

Liu Yun thought that this made sense, so she didn't ask any further questions.

Judging from the other person's demeanor, they seem incapable of keeping any secrets; if they say they don't know, then they truly don't know.

Therefore, I need to go back in person to get a clear understanding of the situation.

Then, Liu Yun asked one last question: "Who are you? What force do you command? Merchants or temples?"

The old nun's expression grew increasingly strange, displaying an eerie posture that was hard to decipher as either pain or pleasure. She managed a weak reply: "This humble nun is the previous head of Izumo Taisha, Okuni. I entered the monastic life after stepping down, but I still manage the shrine's business... Ahem..." -----PV1 reader 1563893925