Swallow Return

"Chiba Kōjō has rebelled and attempted to seize the throne. Fortunately, Abbess Huizhen led an envoy sent by the gods to quell the rebellion. Those who are not involved in this matter should remain in their positions to avoid being mistaken for accomplices of the rebels and thus implicated!"

Although the soldiers at Izumo Taisha were undisciplined and lacked fighting spirit, the clergy were still well-organized.

After the head of the "Chiba Kōjō" died in such a bizarre way, the remaining people quickly defected and, under the orders of Hyejeong, restored order.

It is conceivable that there would be many complex political entanglements, old and new grudges, public and private grievances.

But Liu Yun didn't care and just let the nun Hui Zhen handle it as she pleased.

What he cared about was that finally there were no people blocking the way, and he was able to reach the main hall of Izumo Taisha without any obstacles.

As I walked along, in just a few hundred steps, I could clearly feel the resonance within my body growing stronger and stronger.

At first, I only vaguely felt that the place was somewhat familiar, but I didn't have a specific impression of it.

Gradually, some fleeting glimpses and whispers began to appear.

As I approached, a vivid image and voice appeared in my mind: an extremely beautiful girl calling for help.

The girl's identity was almost obvious, but something just seemed to be missing, something unexpected.

It seems we need to get a little closer.

Liu Yun naturally continued forward without hesitation.

After passing through the worship hall where sacrificial rites were performed, and then through the offering hall where coins and silk were presented, we arrived at the main hall where the deity's tablet was enshrined.

There are statues of the twelve "Kunizu gods" here, consisting of four main deities and eight secondary deities.

Meanwhile, an elderly man lay unconscious on a makeshift tatami mat, barely breathing; this must be the so-called "seriously ill high priest." Two young men were attending to him—it was strange, though; if he was so ill, why wasn't he in his bedroom, but instead staying in the main hall of the shrine?

Just then, the nun Huizhen hurriedly finished dealing with the matters outside and rushed in. Upon seeing this, she immediately asked anxiously, "What's wrong with my master?"

The two young servants hesitated and stammered, offering several explanations but failing to make much sense. They explained that a few days prior, during the Grand Master's daily worship of the gods, he suddenly sensed a long-awaited decree from the deity, but hadn't quite understood it. Therefore, he quickly bathed, changed clothes, and performed rituals to clarify the deity's request.

As a result, during this process, he suddenly vomited blood, fainted, and lost consciousness.

Then the second-in-command, "Chiba Gon-guji," immediately took over the reins, eliminated dissidents, and publicly announced that the Grand Master was merely seriously ill.

The waiter revealed that before the chief priest collapsed, he had been frowning and muttering things like, "Would the gods really ask us for help?"

After hearing this information, the nun Huizhen was still confused and even more bewildered. She could only rely on the "Envoy" whom she trusted so much.

At this moment, Liu Yun, as the "Supreme Envoy," heard the word "cry for help" and felt that it corresponded to the scene he had just sensed, and he gained some insight.

It seems that the deity enshrined at Izumo Taisha Shrine encountered some trouble and needed help, and happened to receive the signal because I possess power of the same origin...

Following this line of thought, Liu Yun walked past the statues of the four main figures and eight deputy figures in the hall one by one, and even disrespectfully reached out and knocked on them twice.

The two young servants were shocked and furious at the sight, but the nun Huizhen stopped them from reacting—although she herself had a look of doubt on her face.

Liu Yun examined the twelve wooden statues one by one and found that each one seemed to be just an ordinary handicraft, and he gained nothing from it.

But after looking at them all, suddenly a series of cracking sounds were heard, and all twelve wooden statues shattered.

The nun Huizhen and her two young servants were stunned into silence.

Liu Yun seemed to have gained some insight, discovering that his telepathic connection had become even stronger.

At the same time, in the very center of the main hall of Izumo Taisha, a semi-transparent figure appeared. It was a woman who was ethereal and otherworldly, like Xi Shi, clutching her chest and wailing in pain, pleading for help.

In other words, the scene that Liu Yun just sensed has come into reality!

He finally understood that this woman was actually the nine-tailed fox who had appeared many times before and was greatly feared.

The nine-tailed fox was anxiously crying out, "Lord Ryuun, please save me! Nobunaga is doing something terrible, and I am not the only one who will be harmed by him..."

Chapter 288 You shouldn't be averse to matters of love and romance, right?

After the four main and eight secondary wooden statues of the twelve deities spontaneously shattered, Ryuun saw the nine-tailed fox, whom he had encountered several times before, inside the main hall of Izumo Taisha.

Based on previous experience, the other party is a powerful monster who, although not obviously hostile, is difficult to fathom in terms of scheming and must be treated with caution.

However, when the nun Huizhen, who called herself "Miaoju," saw the illusion floating in the air, she was immediately astonished, dumbfounded, and her face was full of disbelief. After a while, she stammered, "You...you could it be...the Mother Goddess descending?"

At this moment, the illusion of the nine-tailed fox seemed to be in great pain and weak. It barely managed to say a word for help to Liuyun before it had no strength to speak again. When it heard the nun's cautious question, it only raised its arm with difficulty and waved it twice, releasing a faint ray of light.

I don't know what symbol she drew.

Upon seeing this, the nun Huizhen was overjoyed and excited, trembling with excitement. She immediately knelt down, bowing three times and kowtowing nine times, while exclaiming, "We have actually welcomed Her Majesty the Mother Goddess! According to the records, this is a grand event that has not happened in the last 140 years! This is truly an unparalleled honor!"

She had already been respectful enough when she considered Liu Yun as "Your Excellency the Envoy." Naturally, she was even more respectful towards "Her Majesty the Mother Goddess."

Then the surrounding servants also realized what was happening and hurriedly knelt down to pay their respects, all looking surprised and at a loss for what to do.

At this moment, Nagafune Nagamitsu, who had transformed into a sword and remained in its sheath, made a calm assessment: "I have long heard that in ancient times, the gods and monsters of Japan were originally of the same kind, but were separated by humans who came from the east by Xu Fu, and then embarked on different paths of accumulating faith and collecting fear... I always thought it was just a rumor, but it seems to make a lot of sense. The nine-tailed fox and the Kunitsu-no-Kami enshrined at Izumo Taisha must have a very deep connection."

Liu Yun agreed with this statement.

In fact, he didn't have any particular opinion on the existence of gods, Buddhas, demons, and monsters. He just felt that they were all strange and supernatural things, and it was perfectly normal for them to be connected.

After all, he's someone who's been exposed to an overly developed media and creative works in this information age. Even if you said that Buddha and the Demon King were best buddies, Liu Yun probably wouldn't be swayed at all. Instead, he'd say that the premise is too old-fashioned and would definitely flop if written as a web novel.

What he was curious about now was whether this nun Huizhen and the other servants, in their joy, hadn't noticed that her "Mother Goddess" was clearly not in good condition?

Are they blind? Or is the believer's perspective automatically filtered out?

The nine-tailed fox illusion didn't try to hide this fact, and spoke the truth in a weak tone: "No need for formalities. It's a pity that I encountered a calamity this time and was unable to bestow blessings. Instead, I need your help. The Grand Master was implicated in this... The power he offered was far from enough to relieve the predicament, and instead put him in danger... If I hadn't severed the connection in time, the Grand Master would have been dead long ago."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun found the Nine-Tailed Fox to be quite nice. She didn't pretend to coax believers into giving up their lives; instead, she bluntly pointed out the danger.

"Ah? This...how could this be? Master is..."

Huizhen, the nun, was even more shocked. She stood there dumbfounded for a long time before she understood what was happening. She raised her head and glanced at the unconscious Grand Master lying on the ground. After hesitating for a moment, she bowed down again and said in a hoarse voice, "This is the duty of a believer! What an honor it would be for Master to sacrifice himself for Her Majesty the Mother Goddess! If you need anything, please take away the lives, souls, and bodies of this nun, as well as all the priests and priestesses in Izumo Taisha!"

These words sound righteous and grand, but they sound fake.

However, Liu Yun may have sensed through his psychic abilities that Hui Zhen's sincerity was actually quite substantial.

Is her loyalty to "Her Majesty the Mother Goddess" really that sincere?

How should I put it...

They fought for power and profit, trafficked people, indulged in material desires, and led dissolute lives, yet they upheld the bottom line of clergy.

To this sincere loyalty, the nine-tailed fox responded with a weak smile and weary words: "Thank you. It's a pity that there are too few true believers like the Grand Master and you in the Izumo Grand Shrine now. Even if they all sacrificed themselves, it would be of no use... Fortunately, you have brought a distinguished guest. Although this person is not my envoy, he has a similar or even more important position... If Lord Ryuun presides over a ceremony, I may still have enough strength to maintain my existence..."

"The ceremony..." Nun Huizhen glanced over, a hint of shyness on her face, and asked softly, "Your Highness, the ceremony you mentioned, the one presided over by the envoy, could it be the seventh of the fifteen secret scrolls..."

"That's right..."

The nine-tailed fox's voice gradually grew weaker, requiring one to strain their ears to hear it clearly.

Her last words were: "I don't even have the power to condense images anymore... I can only entrust everything to you."

The person refers to themselves as "this palace" when addressing believers, but here they say "this concubine," so this sentence must have been spoken to Liu Yun.

Then the illusion in the hall disappeared.

The nun Huizhen knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, and said with sorrow and generosity, "Respectfully bidding farewell to Your Majesty, the Mother Goddess! This humble nun will do everything in her power to help you out of your predicament, and I can offer everything I have for this!"

Then she stood up swiftly, her face instantly turning serious and cold. She gave orders to the attendants beside her: "Ring the sacred bell to notify all the priestesses—including those who have retired and become nuns—to come to this hall as soon as possible. There is an urgent ceremony to be held! Then all the priests shall wait outside the worship hall! This matter is of utmost urgency. Anyone who fails to appear without a valid reason or delays will be considered a traitor!"

The waiters dared not be negligent in the slightest and hurriedly ran off to inform the others.

Then, the nun Huizhen knelt down before Liuyun again and said urgently, "Your Excellency, please be patient. Please allow me to explain the essence of the seventh secret ritual to you..."

"and many more--"

Liu Yun shook his head and said:

"Shouldn't you ask me if I'm willing to preside over any ceremony? I didn't agree just now."

"Ah? This..." Nun Huizhen was shocked again, speechless for a full minute, her expression gradually turning to despair.

"Your Excellency, you...you are unwilling to save Her Majesty the Mother Goddess?"

The nun Huizhen's words gradually filled with a poignant and sorrowful tone that evoked sympathy.

"Well--"

To be fair, regardless of whether the woman in the illusion was a nine-tailed fox or the mother goddess of Izumo Taisha, Ryuun didn't have much motivation to help her.

They weren't even very close friends.

But... they don't seem to be enemies either.

Liu Yun vaguely felt that the Nine-Tailed Fox's predicament might be somewhat related to Oda Nobunaga's actions in the Kinki region.

This involves things that concern me.

Besides, after seeing the scene of the nine-tailed fox communicating with the believers, my opinion of her has changed a bit, and I think she might be someone worth getting along with.

No, it's not a person, but a monster—or a god, something strange rather than a person.

After quickly considering these things, Liu Yun replied to the nun Hui Zhen: "At least I need to know what this 'Seventh Secret Ritual' is all about. If it's an evil spell that will harm innocent people, then I'll refrain from using it."

"Please rest assured!" Nun Huizhen immediately breathed a sigh of relief, patting her ample bosom as she assured her, "The seventh secret ritual will absolutely not harm any innocent people. Although some have said it's an evil spell, that's only because they're too old-fashioned and not open-minded enough. Someone like you with a harem of wives and concubines should... cough cough... you shouldn't be averse to matters of the heart, right?"

As she spoke, Huizhen, the nun who could be described as an "old master," actually showed a hint of shyness on her face.

As Liu Yun listened, she sensed that something was amiss.

How did it become a "romantic affair"?

Upon further reflection, I remembered what the nun Huizhen had just said: that the shamans should gather at this hall, and the priests should wait outside the door.

Could it really be... the kind of magic that won't harm innocent lives, but will be condemned by conservative people?

Chapter 289 Should we do it or not?

"Someone like you, with so many wives and concubines, shouldn't have any aversion to matters of love and romance, right?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun was stunned.

So, does this mean that the so-called "seventh secret ritual" of Izumo Taisha is just a group of people driving together and engaging in group sex?

Moreover, the nun Huizhen explicitly instructed all the shamans to gather in the main hall, while the priests waited outside.

In other words, when the "ceremony" is officially held later, he will be the only man left in the room?

Liu Yun had already heard from nun Huizhen that Izumo Taisha has a total of six or seven hundred priests, of whom about two hundred are stationed at the main shrine, with a male-to-female ratio of about 7:3 and 6:4. That means there will be sixty to eighty shrine maidens present.

Such a huge difference in quantity!

That's just... utterly inhumane and horrific!

As a respectable person, Liu Yun's sense of justice surged and overflowed. He felt deeply that this ritual was utterly absurd and immoral, deserving of severe criticism. Even if it did not harm innocent lives, it was still entirely worthy of the word "evil."