Swallow Return

Lady Guidie's expression had gradually calmed down, but upon hearing this, she inexplicably became somewhat angry again, giving him a cold glare.

Perhaps they don't believe the claim that "no evil thoughts ever arose in their minds."

Otherwise, why would she be angry? It can't be because Liu Yun "did not have any evil thoughts" that she's angry.

Liu Yun didn't know how to answer, only feeling that dealing with women of high status was really troublesome.

It's much more pleasing to the eye to kneel down and bow obediently upon meeting someone, like the shrine maidens and nuns of Izumo Taisha. If only Lady Kicho could become like that…

Wait a minute—why would someone have such a politically incorrect idea?

Liu Yun suddenly realized that her brain seemed to have been contaminated and poisoned by some foreign substances.

There is no doubt that this was caused by seizing the power of the nine-tailed fox.

This doesn't seem to be the nine-tailed fox deliberately trying to disturb her mind, but rather a natural fusion of souls. It's easy to imagine that the extent to which the flowing clouds have invaded the nine-tailed fox's thoughts is even deeper.

This is really...

Just now you said "I never had any evil thoughts"!

Liu Yun paused for a moment, while Lady Gui Die pondered deeply, offering her analysis: "I have been deeply affected, my soul and body are constantly dying. Today, thanks to your help, Lord Liu Yun, I was fortunate enough to awaken. But this is merely a temporary measure; I don't know how many days it will last, perhaps only a few hours..."

At this moment, the Nine-Tailed Fox made a suggestion: "There is a way. If Lord Ryuun simply repeats what he did at Izumo Taisha on Lady Kicho, he can at least keep her safe for three months!"

Liu Yun knew the suggestion made sense, but decided to ignore it anyway.

He reassured her, "Please rest assured, I will do my best to help and will not stand idly by while you are in trouble."

Upon hearing this, Lady Guidie raised her eyebrows, blinked, and chuckled, saying meaningfully, "Help me like you did just now? Then I would truly be eternally grateful..."

Liu Yun was taken aback.

It took him a while to realize that he had just been... teased by a domineering older female CEO, the wife of his former boss's boss.

Hey, this is bad! I'm currently being corrupted and poisoned by the nine-tailed fox's lewd thoughts, and this kind of stimulation might cause me to lose control...

Liu Yun sat up straight, using willpower to restrain the wandering thoughts in his mind, and replied seriously, "What I mean is... Madam, your condition must have been caused by someone framing you. And I can roughly guess who the culprit is. Although I can't find a way to solve your problem, I can try to get rid of the person who caused it, and then there shouldn't be any more problems."

He deliberately rambled on, trying to cover up a topic that was inconvenient to talk about.

However, Lady Kicho was incredibly perceptive and instantly grasped the key point. She looked directly at him with a solemn expression and asked without hesitation, "I'm afraid it was Lord Nobunaga who framed me!"

"Hmm..." Liu Yun could only smile wryly: "You guessed it after all."

"It's only natural." Lady Guidie's expression showed only a slight sadness, not intense emotion, and she showed no surprise whatsoever. She sighed softly and said quietly, "Actually, the only reason I've maintained my status all these years is because my late father's inheritance hasn't been settled yet... But let's not talk about that. Speaking of Lord Liuyun, His Highness Nobunaga said you were executed, but I've always found it suspicious and preferred to believe you had retired to a distant land. Seeing you today, I can confirm it. The events of these past years must have been quite fascinating. Could you share them with me?"

In just a short moment, Lady Guidie snapped out of her gloomy mood, regained her composure and elegance, and even asked questions with great interest.

"Actually, I went to Tsushima Island, which is located between Japan and Korea. It does have some spectacular scenery," Liu Yun casually explained, then shook his head. "It's hard to explain in a few words. Let me settle the score with Oda Nobunaga first, and then I'll take you there for a visit!"

"Then that explains it." Lady Kicho smiled, then her face darkened, and she said decisively, "I also need to settle accounts with Prince Nobunaga. It would be good if we traveled together! With this sharp blade at my waist, I don't think I'll be a burden."

Chapter 298 Is this something a human being would do?

Lady Guidie was not free from the effects of the spell; her body and soul continued to decline into a state of decay. This was a slow but unstoppable process with no obvious external signs, making it difficult to detect without careful observation.

It's less that Liu Yun awakened her and more that he diverted a portion of his life force to her, allowing her to temporarily regain her senses.

It's similar to what was done in the Nine-Tailed Fox's divine kingdom.

But this is just a drop in the ocean, only temporarily addressing the immediate crisis, and does not truly solve the problem.

It's unclear how Lady Guicho deduced the true identity of the "culprit," nor why Oda Nobunaga suddenly wanted to kill his wife to prove his Dao. However, when she suggested going together to "settle accounts," Ryuun had no reason to refuse.

After all, they are the victims and should have the right to take revenge themselves.

Moreover, the thought of taking Lady Kicho to cause trouble for Oda Nobunaga is strangely exciting.

What kind of expression will His Highness the Demon King have then?

He was probably furious inside, but outwardly he pretended to be calm and collected.

Liu Yun and Lady Gui Die walked out of the room and saw that the servants and nuns inside and outside Qingjian Temple had all returned to normal. Originally, they were not the target of the magic, but were only left in a half-dead state due to the effects of the spell.

These mortals have very limited mental and physical endurance, so when they awoke, they were completely bewildered and unable to remember anything that had happened before.

When the servants and nuns saw Lady Guidie and a robust young man come out of the courtyard at the same time, they were all shocked and looked at each other, not daring to make a sound.

It seems no one recognized him as Sasaki Ryuun, who was rumored to have been dead for many years; they just thought he was an ordinary pretty boy.

That's perfect, no further explanation is needed.

Lady Guidie instructed them to guard the gate carefully, not to go out easily, and not to gossip, before setting off on their journey with Liuyun.

……

The journey from the castle town of Azuchi Castle to Kiyomiji Temple in the northwestern suburbs of Kyoto was quick, but the return trip was a bit more troublesome. Although Lady Kicho possessed considerable martial arts skills, they were only considered above average among mortals, and her movement speed wasn't particularly fast.

Unless Liu Yun carries her on his back or runs away, or adopts a princess carry position—but that would be so embarrassing!

Anyway, there's no rush, so taking the normal route is fine.

At the same time, you can use your own eyes to see the living conditions of the people along the way.

Starting from the northwestern suburbs of Kyoto, Ryuun traveled eastward through three medium-sized trading towns: Otsu, Zenso, and Toriigawa. Out of curiosity, he went in to take a look at each of them.

He had neither much time nor an understanding of the business rules of this era, so he couldn't draw any systematic conclusions. From the perspective of a passerby and a customer, he felt that the overall atmosphere had declined significantly compared to before.

At the same time, one can discuss with Lady Guidie and confirm one's inner speculations.

In short, businesses in the Kinki region are now clearly divided into two categories: "exclusive merchants" and "others." The former possess so-called "exclusive rights," allowing them to easily occupy a dominant position and make a fortune from home. The latter, on the other hand, can only painstakingly grab scraps and have to pay an additional "seat fee"—which can be understood as a "exclusive rights transfer tax."

It seems to be not much different from the situation in the past when religious forces monopolized commercial interests.

Fortunately, under the Oda clan's rule, the status of a court merchant was not valid for life, but required periodic review, which added some restraint and prevented the situation from becoming as stagnant as before.

However, Lady Guidie explained that the performance evaluation of the imperial merchants was only effective in the first two or three years. After that, as long as they did not cause any major scandals and sent generous gifts to their superiors during holidays, they could maintain their power and status.

When Oda Nobunaga implemented the Rakuichi Rakuza reforms, his primary aim was simply to wrest financial resources from traditional temples and shrines to implement further plans. Now that he had achieved his goal, he became less concerned about the aftermath.

Combined with the investigation into the massacre in Iga Province, Liu Yun had a general idea of ​​what was going on, and his resolve became even stronger.

Lady Guidie was puzzled by this and asked him why he cared about these things.

Liu Yun sighed and said, "If I told you that... my return to cause trouble for Oda Nobunaga this time was not because of any personal grudges, but for the well-being of the people, would you believe me?"

Lady Guidie chuckled upon hearing this.

She was clearly used to the nonsense of politicians and found it hard to accept this kind of high-sounding official rhetoric.

After laughing, he didn't say anything, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.

Liu Yun didn't care too much about her reaction, but he wasn't completely indifferent either. He shook his head helplessly and said, "I knew it wouldn't make sense. But actually, I still really hope you can believe me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt that something was not quite right.

Lady Guidie smiled gently, her sharp, angular features softening as she said softly, "Since Lord Liuyun has said so, of course I will believe you."

Something doesn't seem right.

The art style is a bit off.

A moment later, Liu Yun immediately realized that it was the Nine-Tailed Fox's ability that was at work, giving Lady Gui Die a subtle hint that made the atmosphere inexplicably romantic and ambiguous.

He immediately reprimanded her in secret.

The nine-tailed fox immediately protested her innocence: "I cannot act on my own in front of you right now. Wasn't what happened just now caused by Lord Liuyun's desires being revealed?"

Liu Yun was taken aback, wanting to refute but lacking sufficient confidence.

Manipulating other people's minds is easy for him, but understanding his own subconscious is extremely difficult.

……

Liu Yun did not deliberately conceal his whereabouts, so when he stopped to rest in the fourth town, some worldly people finally realized that something was wrong.

"This man looks a bit like that guy... the former 'Greatest Warrior of the Oda Clan,' Sasaki Ryūun. Wasn't he supposed to have been dead for many years?"

"And the woman who was with him, she looked exactly like the matriarch of the Oda family, Lady Kicho, right? Lady Kicho should have passed away long ago."

"Why are they together...?"

"Shouldn't we first consider why the dead suddenly came back to life?"

"I heard that they were all executed by Lord Ufu (Oda Nobunaga), although the reason for their execution remains unknown."

"Since the two of them appeared at the same time, and in a rather intimate and friendly manner, the reason is obvious."

"Speaking of which, there have been rumors circulating in the Kinki region recently about 'the return of vengeful spirits'."

"I think I've heard about it too. It can't necessarily be a rumor!"

"Eh, if that's the case, then Sasaki Ryuun and Lady Kicho are also considered to be involved in the ghost story of 'the resurrection of vengeful spirits'."

"So, those two people over there aren't actually human anymore, but monsters?"

"That's normal. The more powerful the demon, the better it can conceal its aura!"

"Could it be that the adulterous couple who were murdered have become vengeful spirits, coming to cause trouble for Lord Ufu (Oda Nobunaga)?"

"Shh... Keep your voice down. Why do you care what they're up to? Anyway, it's none of our business if we're not even worth a thousand bushels of grain. Let's just get going."

"Yes, don't anger them, report it to your superiors immediately."

"Yes, yes, since Lord Ufu (Oda Nobunaga) was able to kill them once, he can certainly kill them a second time."

"Yes, yes, let's go, let's go..."

"Don't be too hasty, gentlemen, maybe you've just misread it."

"Yes, if you want to report it, go ahead and report it. I think you're just overthinking it."

Separated by a thick wooden wall, several dozen paces away, the group of mid-level warriors thought they could remain unnoticed by speaking in hushed tones. Little did they know that someone possessed such extraordinary abilities as clairvoyance and superhuman hearing.

Ryuun saw the reactions of these people from afar and learned that the Oda clan's retainers still held unwavering reverence and trust in Nobunaga.

He had a sudden realization.

The timing of this rumor about the "resurrection of a vengeful spirit" was truly coincidental. It conveniently led witnesses to believe they had seen a vengeful ghost, preventing them from questioning whether Sasaki Ryuun was actually alive.

According to previous intelligence, once his retainers develop such doubts, Oda Nobunaga's image of being invincible and omnipotent will gradually collapse, and his demon-like power will gradually dissipate.

The samurai now firmly believe that "If Lord Ufu could kill them once, he can certainly kill them a second time."

In this situation, even if Ryuun steps forward and makes some big news to gain attention, people will probably only understand it as "a vengeful spirit causing trouble" and will still not think that Oda Nobunaga was powerless.

Could it be that Nobunaga foresaw something and deliberately made this arrangement?