Swallow Return

But her emotions did not improve at all.

From a rational perspective, gaining two more hours wouldn't improve her situation.

If a person falls into a river and is about to drown, how could they possibly survive with just a straw?

Are they hoping that Eguchi Sukezaemon, who has been out of contact for the past two hours, will suddenly bring back the so-called second son of the Sasaki family from the temple?

That's wishful thinking.

Hachisuka Masakatsu may have done so out of sympathy, or perhaps as a conqueror he didn't want to appear too oppressive towards the natives; in any case, he allowed Lady Iori's little bit of capriciousness.

However, Hayami Seibei, who brought Hachisuka Masakatsu in, couldn't stand it anymore.

After hesitating for a moment, he solemnly approached Iori, knelt down, and said loudly, "Madam! Now that things have come to this, what's the point of dwelling on this matter for another hour or two? We should be thinking about our escape route as soon as possible!"

After hearing this, Iori lost control of her emotions.

Facing a "big shot" like Hachisuka Masakatsu, it was neither possible nor reasonable to criticize him.

But what about Hayami Seibei, this retainer?

He was originally sent out to gather intelligence, build relationships, and see if he could negotiate for further leniency.

This guy, instead of serving any purpose, actually brought people back to confiscate the territory!

It's obvious they've been bribed and their stance has wavered!

Having grown up in the noble family of Kakeruin, Iori had never been exposed to vulgar language. Despite her anger, she did not utter a harsh word, but instead lowered her head and asked, "I wonder if you are still considered a member of the Sasaki family? Or have you switched your allegiance to Lord Kinoshita?"

Despite the sarcastic remark, Hayami Seibei remained unmoved, raising his head proudly and saying, "I am still a retainer of the Sasaki family. However, the extinction of the Sasaki family line is now a foregone conclusion, and from now on, I will naturally serve Lord Kinoshita directly."

“I see…” Iori raised her head slightly, revealing a pale face, her trembling voice filled with disdain: “Lord Kinoshita must value Prince Hayami highly and bestow great favors upon him! Congratulations!”

“Madam, you are mistaken.” Hayami Seibei shook his head without any shame: “I have not accepted any money or land. The reason I want to serve Lord Kinoshita is simply because I have seen his extraordinary talent and hope to build a glorious career with him.”

Iori clearly didn't believe it, turning her face away and remaining silent.

Hayami Seibei continued, “From the beginning, I felt that searching for the second son who was sent away more than ten years ago was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Now that Eguchi Sukezaemon has indeed found nothing, it confirms my thoughts from back then. Lord Kinoshita is both wise and benevolent, and it is not a bad thing that the territory has come under his rule. Why can’t we accept reality? In addition, I have also considered the situation of the lady, and I will certainly not let you be homeless… Lord Kinoshita has always admired ladies from noble families. If you become his concubine, wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds? If you give birth to a son in the future, perhaps the Sasaki family lineage can be preserved.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Iori's despair turned into anger. She suddenly raised her head, her face completely pale, and her hands and feet began to tremble uncontrollably.

She had seen Kinoshita Tokichiro once riding around the territory on horseback.

I only saw him once, but the impression was deep enough. He had a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks, a short and stocky build, a face as black as charcoal, and deeply furrowed brows; his appearance was repulsive. Moreover, his speech and behavior were vulgar and slovenly, completely lacking in manners. Although he wore fancy clothes, he was like a monkey in a crown, completely unrefined.

Marrying this kind of person as a concubine would probably be worse than death.

Iori felt incredibly ashamed and angry, and blurted out, "Hayami Seibei! Since you still consider yourself a retainer of the Sasaki family, how could you do something like betraying your mistress for personal gain? Where is your sense of shame as a samurai?"

Hayami Kiyobei ​​was taken aback by these words, and a hint of anger appeared on his face: "Madam, please reconsider! I have neither betrayed my mistress nor sought personal gain; I have merely offered a suitable suggestion! Although Lord Kinoshita may not be handsome, he is a rare and exceptional man, and would never dare to disgrace you!"

Iori let out a deep sigh, lowered her head, and gripped the hilt of the knife hidden beneath her clothes tightly with both hands, without saying a word.

Hachisuka Masakatsu watched the conflict unfold, neither intervening nor stopping it, but simply looking up and muttering to himself, "Judging by the sky, there should only be an hour left..."

Just then, a gruff voice rang out from outside the courtyard gate: "Madam! I, Eguchi Sukezaemon, have fulfilled my mission and brought back the second son who was sent to the temple years ago! It's good news! The Sasaki family has not died out!"

Chapter Three: A First Try

After the middle-aged samurai who called himself "Eguchi Sukezaemon" arrived at his door, the monk Ryuun did not immediately grant his request, but instead fell into thought.

In his heart, he was actually a transmigrator who had arrived out of nowhere, without having gained the original memories, and had no idea what the so-called "Sasaki family" was all about.

Although Uncle Xinghe was just a poor monk who was oblivious to the world around him, he was quite warm-hearted. Even though his injuries had not yet healed, he went to great lengths to search through his old diaries and confirmed that Suifeng had indeed become a monk fifteen years ago as the second son of the Sasaki family.

This confirms what Eguchi Sukezaemon said.

Uncle Xinghe and junior brother Suifeng were both honest people, and they felt that returning to secular life and going back to their hometown was the only reasonable choice under these circumstances.

But Liu Yun didn't immediately agree; he simply fell into thought.

Currently, he has no sense of identification with the Sasaki family and no sense of family responsibility whatsoever.

After transmigrating, he became a monk who had completely detached himself from worldly desires, and Liu Yun had never considered the question of his origins. Now that he thinks about it, he probably transmigrated several years ago and occupied the body of a native inhabitant.

As for the unfortunate second son of the Sasaki family, he may have already perished—but that's irrelevant and not something to focus on.

What remains unclear is how many similarities and differences this world has with the "Warring States period of Japan" that I knew from my previous life.

Liu Yun was not an impatient person and originally planned to carefully investigate the situation before considering further developments.

Since he lived in a time of moral decay and possessed superior skills, it was natural for him to have the ambition to make a name for himself and achieve great things. Previously, he had been unable to properly explore the world because his uncle and junior brother needed his protection, which caused repeated delays.

Thinking about it this way, it seems that becoming the head of the Sasaki family would make it easier to "enter the world".

At the same time, they may also face some disputes related to inheritance rights.

Judging from Eguchi Sukezaemon's words, it seems that there are no obstacles and that he can easily take over the territory as long as he goes back. However, based on common sense, things may not go so smoothly.

Having lived for decades across two lifetimes, Liu Yun had never actually participated in any serious political activities. But even if he hadn't eaten meat, he had seen pigs run; in his previous life, he lived in an information-saturated world and had heard far too many stories.

On the other hand... it's just the territory of "Sasaki Village," so it's unlikely to attract the covetous eyes of any powerful figures.

With this demon-slaying sword in my hand, I reckon I can handle it.

Furthermore, Shirakawa Township in Oshu is an extremely poor and remote place. The temple is not very popular, and people live a hard life. The temple was mostly destroyed by that spider monster, and it is unknown how it will be repaired...

If I could become a minor lord, I could bring my uncle and junior brother over and make their lives more comfortable. Perhaps I could even mobilize the villagers to build a larger new temple to continue the incense offerings.

Thinking about it this way doesn't seem so bad...

Seeing that Ryuun was deep in thought and remained silent, Eguchi Suzaemon was dumbfounded and panicked. He kept urging him to return to secular life and inherit the family business. He went from pleading bitterly to crying and finally bowing his head to the ground, leaving his forehead covered in blood.

Liu Yun had initially harbored some intention to test the waters. However, seeing that Eguchi Sukezaemon's attitude was sincere and not feigned, he reached out to stop him, saying, "Alright, I can go back with you. But my master is old and my junior brother is young, so we should take them back together to take care of them."

Upon hearing this, Eguchi Sukezaemon hesitated for only a moment before immediately nodding in agreement: "Once you inherit the position of head of the family, you will have the final say on these matters. Although our Sasaki family has been having some bad luck lately, we can afford to feed two more people."

"Are we moving together too?" The little monk Suifeng was stunned for a moment, then immediately clapped his hands with a big smile: "Now that my senior brother has become a lord, I can eat white rice every day, right!"

“Uh…” The old monk Xinghe hesitated, wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

Liu Yun knew perfectly well that his junior brother, being young and only interested in a better life, was easy to please; his senior uncle, on the other hand, was only interested in worshipping Buddha, was honest and kind, and was used to being content with poverty, and was more concerned about the future of the temple.

While both of them certainly had their own selfish motives, it's only human nature to do so.

So Liu Yun said, "Master's last words were to protect our fellow disciples, but he didn't emphasize the importance of this place. If we rebuild the temple in a better location, he would be happy."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Xinghe nodded.

So we decided to move.

Eguchi Sukezaemon was overjoyed and so happy that he did a somersault on the ground.

Then the three monks hastily packed their belongings, abandoned the temple which had been half-destroyed by the demon, and set off on their journey.

The middle-aged samurai, Eguchi Sukezaemon, appeared to be a meticulous and cautious man. He led the way, making sure to take the main roads in broad daylight and avoiding contact with passersby, thus ensuring both speed and avoiding danger.

Logically speaking, Liu Yun possesses unparalleled martial arts skills. He could easily kill any ordinary bandits or monsters with a single strike. Where in the world could he not go?

However, Eguchi Sukezaemon did not witness the exorcism process firsthand and was unaware of Ryuun's abilities.

Uncle Xinghe was honest and upright, while Junior Brother Suifeng was young and naive, and not one to talk too much.

Liu Yun has never been interested in boasting.

Moreover, he felt that Eguchi Sukezaemon's caution was not a bad thing. After all, even in the remote and impoverished areas of Oshu, powerful yokai could be found causing trouble; who knew what other strange things might be lurking elsewhere? Even if he could protect himself, it would be bad if he injured his companions.

Two days later, we arrived at a small ferry crossing, boarded a small boat, and after a few hours, we arrived at a larger ferry crossing. We boarded another boat and traveled by water for several days before finally disembarking. The surroundings gradually became more prosperous.

Eguchi Sukezaemon explained that this was Nagashima, and that it would be two more days by land to Omi.

The old monk Xinghe was exhausted from riding horses and traveling by boat.

The little monk Suifeng was very excited and full of interest in everything around him.

Liu Yun was also very curious, but unfortunately he was in a hurry to get going and had no time to explore.

Along the way, Eguchi Sukezaemon explained the situation, saying that the Sasaki family was a small powerful clan in northern Omi Province. They originally belonged to the Asai clan, but now they had followed the trend and submitted to the Oda clan. However, because they had no male descendants left, their territory was at risk of being confiscated.

Upon hearing the familiar surnames "Asai" and "Oda," Liu Yun became interested and asked the other party to elaborate.

After some conversation, he realized that the general course of this world aligned with the history he knew from his previous life. The reason he hadn't been able to glean any details from the temple was indeed because that place was extremely isolated.

Master Shunshan is clearly a highly skilled martial monk, so why did he choose such a remote place to build a temple?

The biggest difference from the "original history" lies in the presence of supernatural elements.

This world is home to warriors with the strength to lift a thousand pounds and who are impervious to swords and spears, monks who use the power of gods and Buddhas, Onmyoji who can connect the two worlds and command shikigami, ninjas who can fly over rooftops and disappear in broad daylight... and even more monsters of all kinds and strange forms.

Every daimyo has no shortage of extraordinary talents and even retainers from foreign tribes.

However, events such as the Battle of Okehazama, the Eiroku Rebellion, and Oda's march on Kyoto still occurred, although the specific details differed somewhat.

As a result, Liu Yun couldn't help but have more expectations for the future, but at the same time, he also had many more questions to think about.

……

Finally, the group followed Eguchi Sukezaemon to a lakeside village.

Scattered here are many village houses of varying sizes and styles. In the center is a large house built on an earthen slope and surrounded by a courtyard wall. Occasionally, ragged and emaciated people walk along the road, but no one carrying weapons is seen anywhere.

The young monk, Sui Feng, speaking without restraint, deduced from the scene: "It seems there aren't many monsters causing trouble here. Otherwise, the villagers wouldn't be without weapons. Where we used to live, we felt safe even going to the toilet with a knife."

Eguchi Sukezaemon gave a wry smile and replied, "When the Asai family was in power, they didn't manage things very well, and the villagers did see some harmful monsters. But after the Oda family came, they sent out many powerful patrol teams, and most of the monsters were wiped out... This area is under the jurisdiction of Lord Kinoshita of Yokoyama Castle. He has two very powerful men under his command, Takenaka and Hachisuka, who are no match for ordinary monsters..."

The words contained subtle emotions.

The Sasaki family initially served the Asai family, but later switched allegiance to Oda when things became unfavorable. Such betrayal was hardly honorable. However, in all fairness, Oda was indeed superior to the Asai in many ways, and following a stronger party for the sake of their family's survival was the right path.

Perhaps for this reason, Eguchi Sukezaemon felt somewhat conflicted.

Upon hearing the familiar yet unfamiliar Miao characters "Kinoshita," "Takenaka," and "Hachisuga," Liu Yun's suspicions were further confirmed.

The group continued on their way.

Eguchi Sukezaemon, this "samurai lord," walked at the very front. When the villagers saw him, they immediately stepped aside and bowed, and no one dared to come up and disturb him.

When we arrived at the entrance of the so-called "Sasaki Mansion", we found that the gate was half open and there were no guards.

Coupled with its old and worn-out exterior walls, it exudes a shabby and shabby feel.

Eguchi Sukezaemon was probably used to it and didn't feel embarrassed. He strode forward excitedly and loudly announced the news to the city.

However, when they got to the door, they realized something seemed off.

There were more people in the courtyard than I had imagined.

Twenty soldiers stood in the courtyard, with a burly warrior in the middle.