Swallow Return

But even though he doesn't actively engage with people, some still come to him.

A scarred man from next door lazily approached and asked through the iron bars, "Hey, newbie, what's up with you? What did you do to offend that bald monk?"

Liu Yun glanced at it, then feigned a dejected expression and sighed, "How should I know! I just got into an argument with some androgynous so-called tea master in the town at the foot of the mountain, and I was dragged here!"

The scarred man chuckled bitterly, shaking his head and saying, "Let me tell you, bald monks love this kind of thing. You've probably offended some high-ranking monk's favorite! You're pretty much like me..."

Liu Yun lowered his head and said nothing more.

Scarface continued, "I've heard these past few days that there's some kind of barrier inside Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei, making it quite inconvenient to kill people. In our situation, we'll just be tortured and then released. At most, we'll lose an arm or an ear or something, nothing serious."

Losing an arm or an ear isn't a big deal?

That shows how broad-minded I am...

Liu Yun couldn't help but retort, "You're really open-minded."

Scarface chuckled and said, "Are there any ordinary people locked up on this floor? Ordinary people are all on the floor above. Everyone here, who isn't a thug wielding a knife? In this line of work, you have to be prepared to risk your life at any moment..."

At that moment, a loud shout came from afar.

It was that burly man who had been cursing so loudly who, despite being whipped, screamed in agony and continued to curse, his voice filled with extreme pain.

Liu Yun glanced at it subconsciously.

The talkative scarred man next door sighed and explained, "This guy is different from us. His wife and daughter went up the mountain to offer incense, but they were both taken by that shameless bald monk and forced to their deaths one after the other... He relied on his status and martial arts skills to come to the temple to seek justice, but he was captured. This is truly a blood feud that can't be left unresolved."

Chapter 46 Expected and Unexpected Collaborators

Liu Yun endured the filthy and stinking environment and lay low for half a day.

I thought some unscrupulous prison guards would give me a hard time, but nothing happened.

That loudly cursing "brave man" was truly courageous; even after being whipped dozens of times, he remained unyielding, still spewing vulgarities. Inspired by him, many others joined in the commotion, keeping the monks who served as jailers extremely busy. Their hands, swollen from wielding the whips, were exhausted, yet they still couldn't quell the disturbance.

That's probably why they didn't have time to pay attention to Liu Yun, this "newcomer".

In the end, the monks left only a resentful remark: "There are some as bold as you, but none of them can be arrogant for two or three days. Tomorrow, when we bring in the instruments of torture, you'll know what's what!"

After saying this, the jailers went back to rest, leaving only two seemingly low-ranking young monks to continue guarding the prison.

It must be nighttime by now. But the dungeon is too deep, completely dark, so I can't be sure.

During this period, Liu Yun mainly studied the prison's chains and bars.

After trying it out, he found that this thing was much tougher than ordinary steel, probably due to the effect of some kind of secret technique.

However, if I were to exert all my strength and disregard the loss of my energy, I could break off a few strands with my bare hands.

Seeing Liu Yun weighing the iron chain, Scarface next door interrupted and advised, "No need to try! This isn't an ordinary chain. Those locked up on our floor are definitely skilled people, but if you can break this chain with your bare hands, you'll be locked up on a lower floor."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun simply smiled and remained silent.

The scarred man was very talkative and couldn't stop for a moment. Even though he didn't get a response, he wasn't annoyed at all and continued to ask, "Brother, what's your name? What kind of gang do you work for? It's fate that we went to jail together. How about we cooperate after we get out? Don't let my poor appearance fool you, I actually know a lot of ways to make money!"

Liu Yun glanced at it, but didn't answer. He simply said, "You're not afraid."

Upon hearing this, Scarface laughed proudly, pointing at himself and boasting, "You're right! I may not have many other skills, but I'm incredibly bold! Look at this scar, do you know how I got it? To tell you the truth, I used to be a low-ranking ninja in Iga, but I seduced the concubine of Momochi Tanba, the leader of the Momochi clan. When the affair was exposed, I was hunted down, and that's how I got this scar!"

Liu Yun expressed disbelief: "To escape from the clutches of the Iga ninja leader, one must be quite skilled. How could they be so easily captured by a monk?"

Scarface snorted and shook his head, saying, "Because all I learned were disguise, stealth, poisoning, and tracking skills; I can't fight! I was betrayed by a disloyal prostitute, and a dozen monks cornered me on the bed. I had no way to escape. Otherwise, how could they have caught me?"

Liu Yun simply thought the man was exaggerating and didn't take it seriously.

The scarred man, however, continued to chatter on and on, insisting on striking up a conversation.

Finally, Liu Yun said, "If we are destined to meet again, we can exchange names. If we are not, why bother getting to know each other?"

Scarface was rebuffed, but he wasn't discouraged. He clicked his tongue twice and then changed direction to try and strike up a conversation.

This guy seems to be the kind of person who's very good at navigating the underworld.

……

With no sunlight reaching the area, Liu Yun relied on her biological clock to estimate the time.

Around midnight, most of the prisoners around were fast asleep, leaving only two jailers who were also drowsy.

Just as Liu Yun was about to start, he suddenly heard footsteps again.

Then came a young male voice:

"Master Juehui has instructed that we bring back that nasty guest during the day, take him to the room across the hall, and let Master Zixuezhai personally whip him a few times to vent his anger!"

This matter seems to be related to me?

But Liu Yun pondered that when he used the red jade to control the tea master Zi Xue Zhai, he didn't give him such complicated instructions!

What is going on?

In the blink of an eye, without time to think it over, Liu Yun instinctively decided to wait and see.

A group of people walked up from the stairwell.

The leader was a servile young monk, clearly a nobody.

The handsome young man in the brocade robes behind him, isn't that the tea master Zixuezhai?

There were also five or six warrior monks wielding naginatas surrounding and protecting them.

Tea master Zixuezhai pinched his nose and stood on tiptoe, utterly disgusted by the filth and stench of the place. He glanced at it from afar, pointed, and said, "That's the guy. Bring him here; I want to deal with him myself!"

Then the young monk hurriedly took the key, opened the cage, and several martial monks escorted Liuyun out to a room on the other side of the stairwell.

It was still on the fourth basement level, still a prison with small doors and windows, surrounded by iron bars and chains, but the environment was much cleaner, with no trash or stains on the ground. Through the iron windows on the inside, there was even a skylight, where you could feel the sunlight and fresh air coming in from outside.

It's likely that this was a specially built "private room".

After entering the room, the others left, leaving only Liuyun, whose hands were tightly chained, and Zixuezhai, who was holding a whip and frowning angrily.

To be honest, a beautiful woman with a cold and aloof demeanor, wearing a tight-fitting hunting robe and carrying a long whip, the scene was a bit... well, it's a pity that the woman was actually a man.

With only the two of them remaining, the tea master Zixuezhai did not immediately lash out with his whip. Instead, he solemnly asked, "Yesterday, did you use some secret technique to bewitch my mind and deliberately let the monks arrest me and put me in this prison?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun instantly understood the cause and effect, and calmly nodded, saying, "That's right. Although I don't know how you got rid of it, since you didn't expose us but met in private, it seems that we can cooperate."

Tea Master Zixuezhai said proudly, "The way of tea has the effect of clearing the mind. Although your secret technique is powerful, it only controls the mind for a very short time. However, you are right, we can indeed cooperate. Others may think I have gained a lot by associating with that old bald monk Juehui, but I only feel resentment!"

Liu Yun slowly said, "That would be perfect..."

Then Zixuezhai's expression turned disappointed, and he said threateningly, "I know you came to the temple to cause trouble, and your purpose is very clear. But I doubt whether you have the ability to do so. Getting into prison and being bound by these specially made iron chains is not a good idea, so you'd better do as I say from now on. Putting aside everything else, if I expose you now..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun smiled.

Then, with all his might, he tore off the iron chains binding him without making a sound, then stood up and lunged forward, grabbing Zixuezhai by the throat.

The other person was instantly rendered speechless, their face turning red with embarrassment.

Liu Yun then released his hand and said calmly, "Now you should understand that I'm not so afraid of someone exposing me."

Zixuezhai clutched his throat, clearly in pain, but his face lit up with excitement, completely disregarding Liuyun's offense and warning: "That's good! So you were deliberately hiding your strength... It seems you're probably not a samurai, but a ninja!"

Liu Yun remained noncommittal: "This has nothing to do with identity."

Zixuezhai nodded and said, "Yes, I can't be bothered with it. Anyway, I guess you're going to release all the prisoners on this floor and cause turmoil at Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei?"

Liu Yun sighed softly, "It seems my purpose is not hard to guess."

Zixuezhai added, "Indeed, the prisoners on this floor are all quite capable. If they were all released, they would cause a lot of trouble. However, there aren't any particularly powerful people here... because the most important prisoners are actually locked up in the water dungeon on the next floor!"

Liu Yun's expression turned serious: "This intelligence is indeed very useful."

Zixuezhai revealed a smug yet twisted smile, took out a stack of petitions from his robes, and said urgently, "These are the files I stole from that old bald monk Juehui. They list the names of those imprisoned in the fifth basement level water dungeon! But getting into the water dungeon requires several keys, and that old bald monk is keeping a close watch on it. I'll have to wait a while..."

Liu Yun took the petition and glanced at it, only to find that the name "Jinghe Asagi" appeared on the list of prisoners.

Chapter Forty-Seven: Another Serendipitous Encounter

When the door to the private room opened again, Liu Yun was not injured.

The handsome tea master, Zixuezhai, walked out with a cold expression.

Upon seeing this, the leader of the monk soldiers waiting at the door fawned over him, saying, "Sir, you're probably not used to this kind of rough work. It's alright, it's alright. We'll help you vent your anger later!"

Upon hearing this, Zixuezhai turned his head and asked calmly, "So, you're quite skilled at this kind of rough work?"

Upon receiving a response, the leader of the monk soldiers patted his chest gleefully and declared righteously, "Of course! This humble monk has served in the dungeon for over ten years, and has taught a lesson to at least eight hundred, if not a thousand. Whether it was a cunning commoner or a wicked merchant who owed his annual tribute, or a bandit who had offended the ward owners, they all thought they were tough enough when they came in, but after ten days, they were taught to only dare to speak on their knees!"

Zixuezhai questioned, "But just now, I heard someone angrily cursing and swearing!"

The leader of the monk soldiers was speechless for a moment. After a brief silence, he chuckled and explained, "That guy... that guy seems to have practiced some kind of strange skill. His whole body is as hard as stone. No matter if you whip him or brand him with a hot iron, it's useless... But we've already reported it to our superiors, and they'll bring some new stuff over tomorrow. It'll definitely break that guy's magic!"

Zixuezhai's eyes darted around. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded and said, "In that case, please come in and teach this unruly guest a lesson! It's infuriating that I really don't know how to hit someone hard!"

The leader of the monks was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly as he walked inside, not forgetting to introduce himself: "Don't worry, Master Zixuezhai! My Dharma name is Zongming, and I have been working here for over ten years, always diligently. I hope you can speak to Master Juehui, as he happens to have a vacancy for the candle-keeper position in one of his branch monasteries..."

Zixuezhai nodded nonchalantly: "Zongming, is that right? I'll remember that!" He then took out a few more silver coins and placed them on the table, saying: "Regarding the position, I don't know what Master Juehui has to say. Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, I'll use this money to treat you all to some good wine, so that your hard work won't be in vain."

Upon seeing this, Monk Zongming was greatly encouraged. He quickly summoned several monk soldiers, took water-soaked whips, barbed shackles, a wooden mallet with a hood attached, as well as razors, steel needles, and so on, and went into the "private room" to prepare a proper feast.

The other prison guards watched from afar, feeling both envy and contempt, but dared not say anything.

After they went inside and closed the door, there was a series of loud bangs. Suddenly, Zixuezhai rushed out in a panic and said, "Why did Monk Zongming suddenly faint? Can you tell what happened?"

The remaining jailers stared at each other, bewildered, and stepped forward. Suddenly, a figure flew out, wielding two wooden sticks. His movements were as swift as lightning, and his strikes were as powerful as thunder, aiming specifically for the forehead.

Those who were hit collapsed to the ground unconscious.

It was Liu Yun who had deliberately been caught.

Some, who were naturally cautious and suspicious, had refused to come over after hearing Zixuezhai's words. Now, as they were about to turn around and run away, shouting loudly, they were struck on the back of the neck by a flying wooden stick and collapsed to the ground.

Liu Yun stopped and muttered to himself, "It seems that ordinary monk soldiers are not fortunate enough to receive the barrier's enhancement. Only that one with the Dharma name Zongming will require a bit more effort."

In the dead of night, the dungeon was dimly lit except for lanterns at the stairwell and a few torches illuminating the deeper parts. Liu Yun acted swiftly and skillfully, and because he was far from the prison, no prisoners noticed him for a while.

Even the burly man who had been shouting and cursing all day was now exhausted and had fallen asleep leaning against the iron railing.

Zixuezhai asked, "Should we release everyone now?"

Liu Yun shook his head: "Just as you said, they can't make a big enough commotion. I need to go down to the next level of the water dungeon first."

Zixuezhai frowned and said, "Without the key, we can't open the mechanism, so we'll have to dive in. How long can you dive? Do you have enough time?"

Liu Yun said calmly, "Don't worry, I'm prepared."

Zixuezhai was reluctant to accept this, but he nodded and said, "Then I'll go back to the bald monk Juehui before things get chaotic!"