Swallow Return

"Oh..." Liu Yun suddenly realized, but couldn't help but feel a little itchy: "What kind of shop is so amazing? Even the high monks of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei couldn't resist..."

"Cough cough cough!" The middle-aged shopkeeper quickly interrupted with a loud cough: "You can't spread this around! I only heard that some monks from the neighborhood went there to preach, but I would never dare to name names or say which temple they came from."

"Understood." Liu Yun understood immediately: "Don't believe or spread rumors!"

"Exactly, exactly!" The middle-aged shopkeeper looked approving. "You're absolutely right about not believing or spreading rumors."

"Alright!" Liu Yun showed a hint of impatience: "So, where's the best shop?"

"Ah..." The middle-aged shopkeeper put away the money, then put on a sanctimonious face again, and pointed: "Go across a street, there's a shop called 'Nishikawa-ya'. It's called a pub, but the drinks are expensive and of poor quality. However, the girl who sells the drinks is quite nice. She's good-looking and skilled."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun shook his head: "A girl selling wine? That doesn't sound professional at all. Is there anything else?"

"Hmm..." The middle-aged shopkeeper pondered for a moment, then twirled his finger: "Go out the door and turn left. Two or three hundred steps ahead, then turn left again, and you'll see a casino. The outside is where they actually play gambling games, but there's more to it than meets the eye inside... They're all professionals there, but the fees are a bit higher."

Liu Yun still shook his head: "There's a casino outside, isn't that too noisy? No, no!"

"Well..." The middle-aged shopkeeper looked troubled. "These two restaurants are already the signature establishments of our Otsu Town. As long as you're not someone who's traveled all over the country and developed a discerning palate, everyone who goes there says they're great..."

"But I've traveled all over the country, and that's made me picky!" Liu Yun blurted out without a hint of guilt. In truth, he was extremely innocent; he had only heard about such things or seen them in educational videos, and had absolutely no practical experience with them.

At this point, the middle-aged shopkeeper's eyes darted around, seemingly unconvinced. He stroked his beard and asked politely but somewhat reservedly, "You say you've traveled extensively... but where exactly have you been? Where have you witnessed such brilliance? Could you tell me? Of course, it's not that I don't believe you, I just want to broaden my horizons..."

Liu Yun thought to himself, "This is no problem for me. In my past life, information was so readily available that even if I had never experienced something, I could still learn something about it from the internet."

So he lowered his voice and made a gesture: "Have you ever been to Higashi-kan-cho? Do you know what 'ice and fire in tandem' means?"

The middle-aged shopkeeper looked blank, clearly having never heard of it before. But as a true veteran, his imagination was quite vivid. Seeing Liu Yun's gestures, he thought for a moment, guessed a little, and immediately became respectful: "Senior! You are definitely a great senior! But where exactly is this Dongguan Town? How come I've never heard of it?"

Liu Yun shook his head, feigning profundity: "This... is actually just a name. Without a regular customer to guide you, a stranger would never be able to find the place."

The middle-aged shopkeeper sighed: "In that case, I can only tell you the best thing about our Otsu Town, which is worth your time! But compared to the 'Higashikan Town' you mentioned, it is still slightly inferior."

Liu Yun then showed a satisfied expression, nodded, and kept his merits and fame hidden.

The middle-aged shopkeeper pondered for a moment, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and leaned closer to whisper in his ear, “In our entire Otsu-cho, the house in the very center, the most spacious one—you’ll definitely notice it if you walk that way. Although on the surface it seems to have nothing to do with that kind of business… just walk in and say you want this year’s new tea. When asked how much, say at least a pound. When asked what kind of container you want, say you don’t need it, you’ll drink it right away. That way, people will understand. That place, while it can’t compare to the ‘Kando-cho’ you mentioned, is at least the finest I’ve ever seen!”

Liu Yun nodded and noted down the "code words." Then she complained, "I don't think this is any kind of legitimate business, anything shameful! Why make it so complicated? Are we afraid of someone?"

The middle-aged shopkeeper grinned lewdly, lowering his voice further: "After all, there's a temple next door that's been around for almost a thousand years! There are always some unapproachable people in temples who talk about 'rectifying discipline' or something like that. So the high monks still don't dare to openly seek out women to preach Buddhist doctrines..."

Liu Yun nodded in understanding, then took out a small piece of silver from his pocket.

The innkeeper's eyes widened immediately, and he quickly reached out to take it.

Liu Yun's hand trembled, and he put the silver coin back. He shook his head and said, "To be honest, I have no other interests, just this one. If it is indeed satisfactory, I will reward you handsomely tomorrow."

Chapter Forty-Two: I am a man!

After asking around, Liu Yun learned that the small town at the foot of Mount Hiei, adjacent to the west shore of Lake Biwa, was originally called "Otsu-cho".

The town is densely packed with many trading companies dealing in bulk goods, along with their corresponding warehouses, but there don't seem to be many small retail shops.

There weren't many pedestrians on the street at night.

This is normal for a trading post with a relatively small (by appearance) permanent population.

Most shops were closed, so the streetlights were sparse.

However, Liu Yun's eyesight is far beyond that of ordinary people, so there is no need to worry about it being too dark.

Following the innkeeper's directions, we walked to the center of "Otsu-cho" and found a row of very wide and deep houses with facades several meters wide. Only two swaying lanterns hung on the walls, half-lit and half-dark.

In the dim light, Liu Yun could see at a glance that there was a strange emblem pattern engraved on the door, as well as the three Chinese characters "穴太众".

I vaguely remember the Anataishu organization appearing in Koei Tecmo games; I think they specialize in construction, right?

Does he also work part-time in the sex industry? I've never heard of that before...

With these questions in mind, Liu Yun arrived at the door.

There were two men in blue clothes, wearing heavy winter coats, huddled under the eaves, pacing back and forth.

Upon seeing someone arrive, one of them immediately said, "It's so late, the master and his students are already resting. Come back tomorrow if you need anything!"

That makes sense.

Who doesn't negotiate with construction workers during the day?

However, Liu Yun had ulterior motives for coming here this time.

He tentatively used the code he had gotten from the innkeeper: "I'm here for tea. I heard you have this year's new tea?"

The two burly men in blue were taken aback for a moment, then asked, "How much tea do you want?"

It actually matches up!

I thought such a corny code must be something wrong.

Liu Yun then said, "At least one pound of tea is needed."

The other party, unsurprised by such an absurd conversation, continued, "Should this pound of tea be packaged in a silk bag or a porcelain jar?"

Liu Yun waved his hand and said, "No need to pretend, let's finish our drinks here tonight."

The burly man in blue added, "A pound of tea isn't cheap..."

Liu Yun immediately took out three small silver beads weighing more than one tael from his pocket.

Upon seeing this, the two burly men in blue immediately led it inside: "So you were referred by a regular customer, please come in! Tonight is perfect, hehe... not many people are here for tea, you can take your time choosing..."

"Oh! That's perfect timing." Liu Yun strode inside, smiled, then looked regretful: "Actually, meeting a fellow tea enthusiast and exchanging tea-drinking experiences is a wonderful thing."

Upon hearing this, the two burly men in blue chuckled and said, "So you enjoy drinking tea with friends... However, we have some distinguished guests who prefer to enjoy their tea alone in peace and quiet. If such guests come, we cannot accept newcomers."

Liu Yun exclaimed "Huh?" and frowned, asking, "We're all like-minded people who enjoy drinking tea, why won't you let new guests in? That's too much!"

The two men in blue exchanged a glance and said with a smile, "There's nothing we can do. Our guest is of special status, so security is the most important thing! They're just taking a break from their busy schedule to have some tea and don't want too many people to know."

Liu Yun feigned deep thought and tentatively speculated, "Could your distinguished guest in this area be a high-ranking monk from Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei?"

Upon hearing this, the two men in blue chuckled awkwardly for a while before waving their hands in denial: "We wouldn't dare to say such things! The entire Otsu Town is only able to do business thanks to the protection of Enryaku-ji Temple. A single word from the temple can make a merchant close down and leave, so we wouldn't dare to say anything like that!"

Liu Yun smiled without saying a word and followed the person leading the way inside.

That's enough for now; this is how a curious traveler should act. Saying any more would be going too far.

……

Entering the "Xuetaizhong" base, we went to the side gate and followed a winding path for quite a while before arriving at a brightly lit courtyard.

The courtyard features a popular "dry landscape" layout, with the scenery created using earth and sand. Behind it is a row of traditional Japanese-style gardens, which appear clean and elegant from the outside, with a soft, ambiguous lighting.

Liu Yunxin said that the real drama is about to begin.

The guide stopped there, asked someone to bring clean water and a towel, and helped Liuyun wash her hands and face, and wipe the mud off her legs and feet.

Then, smiling, she said, "Please come inside and wait a moment."

Liu Yun then chose the first house at the very front.

Pushing open the door and stepping inside, what comes into view is...

Is it really a tea room?

The room is about the size of six tatami mats, with a heater and tea maker placed in the middle. It works quite well, effectively keeping out the cold and filling the room with the fragrance of flowers.

There was no extra furniture on any of the four sides, only a cabinet recessed into the wall, on which, apart from the Buddhist shrine, was a complete set of tea ceremony utensils.

Tea bottle, tea pot, tea cauldron, tea spoon, tea cup, tea spoon, tea bowl, white charcoal, water...

However, there were no bedding or toiletries to be found.

Liu Yun was a little confused. Could this place really be a place for studying the art of tea?

Or is it just a cosplay activity?

A moment later, a commotion was heard outside.

A figure appeared on the paper door, said "Excuse me," and only pushed the door open and came in after receiving permission.

She was a pretty young woman around twenty years old, with light makeup and wearing a simple black and white hunting robe.

Upon seeing this person, Liu Yun knew he hadn't made a mistake.

It turns out it's just a cosplay activity.

According to current traditional culture, women are not allowed to set foot in formal tea ceremony settings.

Not to mention wearing formal men's hunting attire.

In a dynasty with strict rules, this would have been a capital offense, punishable by beheading. It was only during the Warring States period, when ritual and music had collapsed, that such rules were disregarded.

Liu Yun thought to himself, "I came here to try to infiltrate the temple, and I can't let my desire to remain pure ruin my important mission."

Therefore, we'll have to play it by ear later. If all else fails, we'll probably have to feign compliance and deal with it on the spot.

He then revealed a meaningful smile, sat lazily, and pretended to be a seasoned veteran, waiting for the other party to take action.

Then, the pretty young woman who came in from outside the door solemnly took out the tea set from the cabinet and said as she set it out, "I heard that you came all the way here tonight just to taste tea. I am truly honored. My skills are not very good, so please forgive me if I make any mistakes."

Then, after fiddling with the brazier and flower arbor for a while, he explained, "The first step in tea tasting is to create the most suitable environment to calm the guests' minds. These specially selected dried flowers are the perfect choice."

Then, kneeling down, he carefully lit the charcoal and slowly poured the water he had brought into the pot, waiting for it to heat up. At the same time, he said, "The water for making tea and the charcoal for boiling water are carefully selected and are almost identical to those used by Sen no Rikyu in Sakai."

Later, after boiling the water, he took out the teapot, gently opened the lid, took a very small spoonful, and slowly placed it on the teacup, saying, "Please see, sir, we are about to begin preparing the tea. The success or failure of the tea ceremony depends entirely on this."

Liu Yun was getting a little impatient and frowned, asking, "Is this really a proper and professional tea ceremony?"

Upon hearing this, the pretty tea master opposite smiled and said, "If it weren't for that, how could I dare to welcome such an honored guest?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun couldn't help but complain, "Having a female tea master prepare the tea is unprofessional enough! No matter how much other places try to imitate it, it will never be proper!"

Upon hearing this, the pretty tea master opposite her was taken aback for a moment, then blushed and lowered her head, saying, "Sir, you misunderstand. Although I look and sound like a woman, I am actually a man!"

"This...how is this possible?" Liu Yun was immediately shocked.

The tea master blushed, a look of sorrow on his face. He clutched his belt and said softly, "Even if you doubt me, I cannot refute it. Although we are both men, in this Zen-inspired tea room, I absolutely cannot expose my body for you to see!"

"I didn't want to watch it either!"

Liu Yun felt like he was about to vomit blood.

If they actually pull something out, I'm afraid I'll hurt my eyes!

Liu Yun felt a chill run down his spine.

Although he is a time traveler from the 21st century, his personal orientation is still relatively conservative, and he certainly does not have the spirit of knowing men and going for them.