Swallow Return

We finally arrived at the foot of Mount Hiei.

There weren't many people at the entrance to the mountain, but they were all dressed in high-class attire, and many of them had servants with them.

What you see in the distance are neat, uniform white stone steps, which are three zhang wide.

There are about thirty stone steps, leading to a wide and flat platform.

A towering mountain gate stands on the platform, with an imposing plaque in the center bearing the three Chinese characters "Yanryaku-ji" from right to left.

From this door onwards, you are within the area bounded by the barrier.

Liu Yun found the three characters "Yanli Temple" on the mountain gate plaque quite unique, and subconsciously took a second look. Then, he suddenly felt a strange fondness for Yanli Temple, and at the same time felt ashamed of his intention to enter the temple and steal its treasures.

At the same time, the red jade pendant in her arms also reacted strongly, jumping restlessly.

Liu Yun immediately realized that there was something wrong with the text on the plaque.

He quickly looked away, and soon regained his senses.

Then I immediately noticed that several visitors who were walking upstairs were staring at the words on the plaque, and had fallen into a state of fanatical belief.

There were a couple of people who deliberately kept their heads down or turned their faces to the side when walking, making a point of not looking at the signboard.

At this moment, a young monk dressed in a shimmering robe walked out from inside the mountain gate. He was expressionless and arrogant. Standing on the stone steps, he glanced down and said haughtily, "It is late today, and our temple will no longer accept new guests. Dear benefactors, please come again tomorrow!"

Is it getting late?

Liu Yun looked up, puzzled.

It's bright sunshine, only about 2 pm at most, which is what the ancients called the middle of the Wei hour. How can you say it's already late at this time? It's ridiculous.

However, as soon as the young monk spoke, most of the visitors obeyed and left without a trace of complaint.

Some even muttered to themselves, "To visit such a famous temple with a thousand-year history, one should arrive much earlier. I arrived in the afternoon, which is really impolite of me."

A few people hesitated for a moment, then turned back.

The group of tourists, though they all appeared to be wealthy and noble, did not argue with the young monk.

In order not to stand out, Liu Yun had no choice but to retreat with the crowd.

Normally, the more you try to stop me, the more I want to force myself on you. But today, my goal is to sneak in quietly.

However, just as the tourists were turning back down the stone steps to return to the town at the foot of the mountain, they suddenly saw a very eye-catching small group coming from the other side of the road.

Two riders led the way, and two more brought up the rear. They were all tall, riding large horses, dressed in Wu-style clothing and feathered kimonos, with long swords at their waists and black hats on their heads.

Four tall, strong men carried a small sedan chair with carved railings and jade steps.

The group stopped at the bottom of the stone steps.

Four burly men carefully placed the sedan chair on the ground, and a woman dressed in bright red and green, looking very attractive, stepped out.

The woman's figure and appearance were quite appealing, but her makeup was too bright and aggressive, making her seem like a vulgar woman and not worthy of careful appreciation.

The woman stepped down from the sedan chair, gave a soft hum, rubbed her shoulders, and then, with light steps and a swaying waist, walked up the stone steps toward the mountain gate.

The young monk from Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei did not stop them; instead, he smiled and respectfully made a gesture to welcome them inside.

Good grief, didn't they say it was too late to accept new customers?

Why then were they allowed to let this beautiful woman go in alone?

Liu Yun immediately felt uncomfortable.

But it's not worth revealing your identity just because of this slight displeasure.

Looking around, most visitors seemed to be so hypnotized by the three characters "Enryakuji" on the plaque that they showed no reaction to the privileged behavior before them.

Those few who were more clear-headed clearly dared not speak out.

Liu Yun's eyes lit up, and he had an idea.

In a small town at the foot of the mountain, he found a secluded corner nearby, spotted a man who was daydreaming, and used the supernatural power of the red jade pendant in his pocket to instantly brainwash him.

The idler was given a different personality, and suddenly became righteous. He angrily ran to the stone steps of the mountain gate and questioned the young monk of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei: "It was agreed that it was getting late and no new guests would be accepted. How can this woman come and go as she pleases?"

The young monk was quite surprised to hear this. He turned around and saw that it was just a nobody. He immediately became furious and shouted, "This lady is a relative of the magistrate. Her ancestors were old ministers who laid the foundation for the temple together with Kong Hai. Naturally, she is specially permitted to come to the temple to burn incense and pray for a child! What are you to be worthy of being compared with a lady?"

The idler was supposed to continue arguing as Liu Yun had instructed, but when he looked up and saw the three characters "Yanli Temple" on the plaque above the mountain gate, he lost his mind for the second time.

The effect of the red magatama was then overwritten.

The idler immediately showed a look of fear and self-reproach, knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, hurriedly repenting, "You are right! The eminent monks in the temple have naturally arranged all these things properly. When did it become my place to speak out?"

The young monk snorted, his expression softening slightly, but he still seemed unsatisfied, and flung his sleeve downwards.

With a flick of his wrist, he slapped the idler across the face.

The idler couldn't hold on any longer and was sent flying, tumbling down the stone steps, instantly landing with a bruised and swollen face, bleeding profusely.

Fortunately, it can still scream, so it shouldn't be in any serious danger.

Although his face was bruised and bleeding profusely, the hypnotic effect of the three characters "Enryaku-ji" on the plaque remained. The idler, instead of being angry after being slapped, endured the pain and knelt down, saying, "Thank you, venerable monk, for teaching me the principles of being a good person... Although the slap was on my face, it was all for my own good!"

This guy has clearly been deeply brainwashed.

Liu Yun stood in the shadows, silently watching this scene.

He was certain that the young monk who came down from the mountain had not practiced any martial arts; he was just an ordinary mortal.

But someone who has never practiced kung fu was able to knock another adult man away with just his sleeve!

It's probably due to the effect of that golden barrier.

This Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei is indeed not to be underestimated.

Chapter 41 The topic of experienced drivers

"M-M-Sir...Sir, you see, I...I was just...just a deliveryman...delivering vegetables and water...delivering vegetables and water...I...I've told you everything I know...I've done everything else...anything else...I really...I really..."

In the dim light, a middle-aged businessman knelt on the ground in a panic, sweating profusely and rambling incoherently.

Liu Yun didn't even show his face. He reached out from the darkness in the corner of the room and waved, indicating that he could leave.

"Thank you! Thank you!"

The middle-aged man hurriedly kowtowed twice, then scurried away like a mouse encountering a wildcat.

After a long while, Liuyun turned around, shook his head and sighed.

This mole is really bad; he can only be called over to ask for information, and can't be assigned any tasks.

They couldn't even say a word.

Saying too much might only make the person more flustered and cause them to reveal the information.

If it weren't for the fear of causing unforeseen complications, I would have even considered silencing them.

Fortunately—

According to Kinoshita Tokichiro and Takenaka Shigeharu, the merchant was simply greedy and bribed. He only knew that someone was trying to cause trouble for Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei, but he didn't know what kind of force was behind it or what they wanted to do.

This is also a key reason why they did not choose to silence the witnesses.

……

It's already evening.

This is a guesthouse in a small town at the foot of Mount Hiei.

Liu Yun visited the mountain gate during the day, but abandoned his plan to pretend to be a pilgrim and investigate Yanlikuji Temple. Instead, he rented a room at a nearby inn and gradually learned about the surrounding situation.

Then they found inside contacts provided by Kinoshita and Takenaka.

The result was a huge disappointment; it turned out that inside agents were so unreliable!

The several entry points that were originally planned had to be rejected outright in an instant.

However, having anticipated that things wouldn't go too smoothly, I don't feel particularly frustrated now.

There are still solutions.

After spending some quiet time alone, Liu Yun composed herself, walked out of her room, and strolled leisurely to the lobby of the inn.

Like other places, the guesthouse offers accommodation and sells drinks and food. However, it seems that no additional services are provided.

There are quite a few customers.

Those who come to Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei to worship Buddha usually need to stay at the foot of the mountain, since ordinary people are not entitled to be entertained by the monks.

In addition, this place is a major transportation hub with religious protection, making it an excellent trading center. There will certainly be no shortage of merchants coming here to do business.

However, this small town, nestled between Amber and the mountains, is quite cramped. Therefore, the inns are rather small, and become quite crowded when there are many guests.

The room was barely enough to get one to sleep.

The same applies to the lobby.

Several tables were already occupied by customers, who were eating, drinking, chatting, and joking around, creating a bit of a pub atmosphere. However, in this environment where you could bump into strangers at any moment, you would subconsciously lower your voice and speak rather reservedly.

No wonder, it's so crowded, it's not convenient to provide special services.

Liu Yun listened for a while but didn't find any interesting news.

The people eating here seem to be eating simply to fill their stomachs; if they occasionally order alcohol, it's only to quench their thirst, not for enjoyment.

This place is too proper; it's clearly inappropriate. We need to try a less proper approach.

I had already heard from some idler that the innkeeper was a seasoned expert in eating, drinking, and having fun, so I'll start there.

There are too many people, making it inconvenient to use the bewitching power of the red magatama, but we can communicate using more traditional methods.

So Liu Yun lazily walked to the counter, took out two Yongle coins, and with an expression that all men would understand, lowered his voice slightly and instructed, "I'm going out for a walk to clear my head, so don't close the door too early."

The innkeeper was a seemingly respectable middle-aged man, but upon hearing these words, he quickly clutched the Yongle coins into his hand, revealed a lewd smile, leaned forward, and whispered, "Hehe... I understand, I understand! Our 'Otsu-cho' may not be a big place, but it will definitely satisfy you in that regard! There is just one thing that you need to pay attention to, sir."

Liu Yun raised an eyebrow, revealing a dismissive expression: "It's just a little more expensive. When you're traveling, if you want to have fun, you're bound to spend some money. What's wrong with that?"

The middle-aged shopkeeper smiled again, feigning mystery, and said, "I can tell you're not a stingy person, so you're naturally not worried about money. However—it's just that you should avoid certain types of people."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun thought to himself that he had found the right person, but he remained calm and shook his head vigorously, feigning great incomprehension: "I don't understand. We are all like-minded people, brothers in arms. At most, we shouldn't compete for the same target. Why should we avoid each other?"

The middle-aged shopkeeper smiled without saying a word, only saying, "You'll know when you see it."

Liu Yun chuckled softly, then took out five or six copper coins from his pocket and scattered them one by one on the counter, making a pleasant sound.

The middle-aged shopkeeper, who looked like he had never practiced martial arts, suddenly moved with lightning speed and swift movements, quickly collecting the coins. Then he bowed low, his expression becoming even more respectful, and whispered, "Actually, some high-ranking monks in that mountain sect particularly enjoy seeking out courtesans to preach Buddhist doctrines... After all, the Dharma should not be passed on to six ears, and the Way should not be lightly imparted. It is taboo to encounter outsiders at this time."