Swallow Return

Liu Yun immediately became alert and quickly followed.

After crossing several small streets, we arrived at the abandoned longhouse a short while later.

Hundreds of women and children were sleeping huddled together there. Perhaps because there were too many people and it was hot, the doors and windows were not closed tightly and were left open for ventilation.

The man in black stopped on the roof, chuckled softly, and made a move to jump into the house.

Liu Yun followed silently, about to draw his sword to attack, when he suddenly sensed more movement around him, as if many experts were lurking nearby. He stopped and waited to observe.

A flash of light appeared, and the blade slashed towards the man in black.

The man in black, who was about to break into the house and commit violence, hurriedly waved his hand and blocked the sharp blade with his bare palm. Then he jumped back and retreated to the street, baring his teeth and making ferocious noises like a wild animal.

Only then did Liu Yun realize that the person was not the man in black.

Actually, he wasn't wearing any clothes; his entire body was as black as ink.

It also has two horns, fangs, and hooked claws, so it is clearly not a human but some kind of monster.

A tall, lithe woman with long hair and purple robes stepped forward, sword in hand, and said with a solemn expression, "I didn't expect that even after being on the run for hundreds of years, Shuten-dōji's soul in human form would still be so difficult to deal with. Sisters, we must be careful!"

This person was none other than Igawa Asagi, whom I had met several times before.

At her command, several female "anti-demon ninjas" who had been lying in ambush appeared and attacked the black monster.

Some summoned lightning, some spewed flames, some threw shurikens, some drew bows and shot arrows, and some waved magical artifacts to unleash strangely colored beams of light.

Surrounded and attacked from all sides, the black monster was completely unable to defend itself or dodge, and let out painful cries.

But neither lightning and flames nor hidden arrows seemed to have enough power.

It only caused the monster pain, but didn't seem to get hurt much.

This was when Jinghe Asagi held her breath and leaped up, transforming into several clones in the air like a celestial maiden scattering flowers. They all rushed towards the trapped black monster at an extremely fast speed.

Then, several gleaming ninja swords pierced the monster's body.

Black blood, reeking of alcohol, gushed from the wound and splattered all over the ground.

The black monster let out a terrible wail, its body convulsing uncontrollably, as if it had suffered a fatal wound.

The demon ninjas drew their swords and cautiously approached, preparing to deliver the final blow.

But unexpectedly, the black monster suddenly roared and sprang up from the ground again, sprouting wings on its back. It was much faster than before, and countless black tentacles extended from its wound, wrapping around the nearest woman. Like an arrow released from a bow, it flew straight upwards.

This turn of events was completely unexpected; the other demon ninjas around them were caught off guard and unable to react in time.

At this critical moment, with no time to lose, Liu Yun, who was hiding in the shadows, seemed to have a premonition. He gathered his strength and energy and rose up with his sword like a dragon emerging from the water.

Chapter 58 Is this considered a hero saving a damsel in distress?

Liu Yun swung his sword fiercely, cleaving the black monster with wings on its back in two in mid-air. At the same time, he reached out and embraced the woman who was entangled by tentacles, gently landing her on the ground.

He saw Igawa Asagi's expression change instantly from confident and composed to astonishment and self-reproach, and then to relief and gratitude.

The black monster's body split in two and fell to the ground, becoming two puddles of rotting flesh, lying motionless on the ground.

But Liu Yun remained vigilant and continued to whip the corpse, making more than a dozen cuts in one go, only feeling slightly relieved after chopping the rotten flesh into a sauce.

Igawa Asahi's face showed a mixture of surprise and delight. She was about to speak, but then, as if remembering something, she hesitated and lowered her head, saying softly, "What bad luck... Luckily, Lord Sasaki, you happened to be passing by, otherwise..."

Liu Yun frowned and waved his hand to interrupt: "Don't rush to chat. It's best to burn this monster's corpse, otherwise there might be trouble later."

Igawa Asagi immediately did as she was told.

A red-clad demon ninja used a fire-style technique, while the other two poured oil on it, and the black monster's corpse was quickly burned to ashes.

Liu Yun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But he quickly realized something was wrong—the ponytailed anti-demon ninja he had just rescued from the black monster's tentacles was now visibly blackened in the firelight, her face contorted in pain. She groaned a few times, staggered a few steps, and almost fell to the ground.

What was this person's name again?

I think I've seen this more than once...

Seeing this, Igawa Asagi's expression changed drastically again, and she rushed forward anxiously, asking, "Rinko, are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?"

Oh, so this girl with the single ponytail is named Rinko.

At this moment, Ryuun suddenly realized that since leaving Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei, Igawa Asahi was no longer as calm and composed as before, but instead became easily flustered.

She must have undergone a major psychological change.

Igawa Asagi hurriedly took out some pills and bandages for internal and external use and applied them to the girl with the single ponytail named Rinko, but it didn't seem to have any effect.

At least it didn't take effect immediately.

The patient became confused shortly afterward, his whole body trembled, his skin turned dark, and faint black smoke came out of his mouth and nose.

The demon ninjas were horrified at the sight, yet powerless to do anything about it.

Although Liu Yun had been enemies with the Demon Ninja in the past, seeing them besiege demons and save innocent women and children today, he felt a sense of goodwill and felt that he should help them.

He immediately stepped forward and grasped the wrist of the girl with the single ponytail named "Rinko".

Then, he transferred the "healing power" he had gained after swallowing the White Cleansing Bottle to her.

The girl with the single ponytail immediately recovered and her expression gradually became clear.

Igawa Asahi breathed a sigh of relief, then lowered her head and sighed, "I really don't know how to thank Lord Sasaki for what happened tonight..."

Liu Yun still had no interest in pointless small talk and focused on getting down to business: "The healing I'm providing now is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause. This young lady Rinko seems to be quite badly injured and will need a long rest. By the way, although you're called Demon-Slaying Ninjas, I don't think you have much experience fighting demons."

It should be noted that Ryuun spent several years in Oshu and slew over a hundred monsters with his sword, so he is certainly qualified to say that others lack experience.

Like an obedient schoolchild, Igawa Asahi stood up straight, bowed her head, and honestly accepted the lesson, admitting with shame, "Lord Sasaki, you are right. Although everyone is full of courage and a sense of justice, they still need a lot of training in terms of skills."

Liu Yun glanced around and noticed another interesting situation.

Apart from Captain Igawa Asahi, who showed a relatively friendly attitude, the other members of the Taimanin were grateful and filled with awe.

To be precise—there was little respect, mostly fear.

Compared to the black monster from before, they seemed to be more afraid of Liu Yun.

Including the girl with the single ponytail, Rinko, whose wrist was being held by Ryuyun. Her body was craving healing power, and she subconsciously moved closer, but at the same time she was trembling with fear and panic.

Of course, there was also a slightly familiar-looking little girl who wasn't afraid at all and looked over with great interest. She seemed to be the fake novice monk they encountered in the dungeon.

Liu Yun didn't care about that, and then asked Jinghe Asagi, "What's the situation for you now?"

Igawa Asahi sighed and replied softly, "At that time... we discovered the corruption and depravity of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei and had no intention of serving Buddhism anymore. However, even without anyone to help us, we had to continue to eliminate demons and protect the people. It just so happened that we discovered a wisp of the ancient demon Shuten-dōji's soul in human form near Kyoto, and so we tracked it all the way here. I also have something I'd like to ask Lord Sasaki: what's the story behind the hundreds of women and children living on this street?"

There was no need to hide this matter, and Liu Yun answered frankly: "These are women who were originally seized by the evil monks of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei. We stormed the mountain, rescued these women, and are now trying to settle them down."

Upon hearing this, Igawa Asagi asked solemnly, "What are your plans for this arrangement?"

Liu Yun said, "Let them marry single soldiers or lower-ranking samurai."

Igawa Asahi looked slightly disappointed and shook her head, saying, "I'm afraid this isn't a suitable solution. As far as I know, not all samurai and soldiers are as gentlemanly as you. What if they encounter a man with a bad temper..."

Liu Yun rolled her eyes and retorted, "Besides ending up in prostitution, the only way for these women is to get married. Otherwise, they can't survive in this world."

Igawa Asagi looked aggrieved, pouted slightly, and said, "As long as we encourage them to face it bravely..."

Liu Yun interrupted him without any politeness: "Let's not talk about them. Take your demon-slaying ninjas for example. After leaving Buddhism, do you plan to continue your demon-slaying career? That's fine, but where will you get your reward? What will you eat if you don't get any reward? Can courage fill your stomach?"

Upon hearing this, Igawa Asahi was speechless. After a moment of thought, she lowered her head helplessly and said, "Lord Sasaki, you are right... courage cannot fill an empty stomach..."

It was late at night, and the sky was still dark.

Only a few sparse lanterns shone dimly in the surrounding area. Of course, this posed no obstacle to the highly skilled demon ninja, and Liu Yun paid it even less attention.

However, women and children gradually woke up in the longhouses on both sides of the street, looking curiously out the door.

They were probably disturbed by the fighting that had just taken place.

Then a small squad of sleepy and listless soldiers appeared—they must have been guards on night duty nearby who had heard the commotion.

The soldiers saw that the demon ninjas looked confused, but they all recognized Liu Yun, so they quickly stepped forward to greet them.

Liu Yun waved his hand and said, "There was a thief, but I've already dealt with him. These ladies were just passing by and helping out. Please don't worry about them."

So the soldiers left again, completely oblivious.

Seeing this, Igawa Asagi also spoke up, "Thank you so much for tonight, Lord Sasaki. We'll take our leave now... Rinko, may you go now?"

Only then did everyone see that Rinko, the girl with the single ponytail, was pale and terrified, yet she was involuntarily leaning her whole body against Ryuyun, appearing extremely eager for his affection.

Of course, what it yearns for is not people, but the healing power contained in that pure white bottle.

However, the girls' gazes immediately turned a bit gossipy.

A little girl whispered, "First it was Sister Asagi, then Sister Rinko, they fell for her so quickly..."

It's the one who used to dress up as a young novice monk in the dungeon.

Liu Yun gradually remembered that this person's name was "Sui Xi".

When Rinko heard the captain's call, she suddenly realized that she was lying on top of the man in a very indecent way. Her face turned red with embarrassment, and she quickly jumped back a few steps, saying loudly, "I'm fine, I can walk by myself."

But as soon as he finished speaking, his legs went weak and he fell to the ground.

Liu Yun was not surprised at all. He already had experience using this "healing power". Skin contact can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. To make it work, it is necessary to feed it bodily fluids.

however……

It doesn't matter what I do with Iori at home, since no one can see it anyway; it's just private fun between us.

You can't just feed your saliva—or other bodily fluids—to a stranger with a single ponytail in front of a group of girls.

Just thinking about that behavior... it's just too gentlemanly (perverted).

So Liu Yun helped Rinko, who had a single ponytail, up and said to Igawa Asagi, "Look at you! Your team members are completely unable to move around right now. Why don't you stay with me for a while?"

Igawa Asahi hesitated, "But this is really causing you trouble..."

At this moment, the little girl with sparse hair suddenly said something that no one could understand, such as "Opportunity is rare, arrogance will ruin your life," and was naturally ignored by everyone.

Liu Yun shook his head and said, "It's no trouble at all. I'm counting on you—I'm counting on you guys to help me out!"

Upon hearing this, Igawa Asahi revealed a hint of barely perceptible joy and quickly asked, "What instructions does Lord Sasaki have?"

Liu Yun pointed to both sides: "These are the women! I don't intend to randomly arrange marriages for them, but rather to arrange blind dates for them with single veterans... You know what a blind date is, right? But my men are obviously not good at communicating with women and children, so I hope you demon ninjas can help organize it."

At first, Igawa Asahi seemed not to understand, but gradually she figured it out. Then she showed a strange expression, stared straight at Ryuun's face, and then looked away and asked solemnly, "Lord Sasaki, do you intend to give them the right to choose their own destiny?"

Liu Yun nodded readily: "Yes!"