Swallow Return

"Of course it's your decision, but we still have to consider what outsiders think, the rumors and gossip..." Eguchi Sukezaemon thought for a while with a pained expression, then suddenly had an idea: "How about this! Lord Ryuun, you can recognize your previous lord, your elder brother Sasaki Kotaro, as your adoptive father. That way, Lady Iori will become your adoptive mother. With a mother-son relationship, she can stay and assist you in managing the villagers, which makes sense!"

Eguchi's words were not actually a wild idea.

In theory, the "brother succeeding brother" inheritance method was not common in Japanese history. If there were no sons to inherit the throne, it would be more legitimate to establish a relationship as an adopted son.

Many people were even established as heirs by marrying their own nieces and becoming the adopted sons-in-law of their biological brothers.

However, this kind of local customs and traditions are really too much for time travelers.

Upon hearing such a "brilliant idea," Liu Yun's face nearly turned green.

She was supposed to be my sister-in-law, but suddenly she's become my godmother. How can I accept this?

He quickly shook his head and refused: "Your suggestion is even more outrageous than the last one! Lady Iori and I are about the same age, how can we address each other as mother and son? It would be more reasonable for us to become husband and wife..."

"So you agree to the marriage?" Eguchi Sukezaemon's face lit up with joy, and he clapped his hands and laughed: "I also think that you and Lady Iori are more suitable to be husband and wife! Hahahaha... I will have the servants make preparations right away... Oh, no, you have to go to Yokoyama Castle to pay your respects to Lord Kinoshita in three days... Never mind, let's settle it first!"

Before he could finish speaking, he was already skipping and hopping towards the door.

"Hey, wait a minute..."

Liu Yun was shocked and reached out to stop him.

His martial arts skills are a hundred or even ten times better than Eguchi Sukezaemon's; if he really wanted to stop him, he certainly could.

However, before he could make a move, he suddenly saw Lady Iori beside him gently raise her head.

When she looked up, her eyes conveyed a mixture of reluctance and attraction, joy and reproach.

Liu Yun's movements immediately stopped.

In that instant, he suddenly understood something.

Yesterday, when Lady Iori refused to become Kinoshita Tokichiro's concubine, she was clutching a sharp blade, ready to commit suicide at any moment. So resolute, so unyielding.

Today, her bowed head and silent demeanor are not a veiled objection, but rather a veiled agreement!

Thinking back, what Eguchi Sukezaemon said earlier makes some sense. If the two don't become husband and wife, Lady Iori's position will be very awkward in the future, and she won't be able to maintain her position as "mistress of the house."

Therefore, when she first sent people out to find "the second son of the Sasaki family who had become a monk," she may have already planned to remarry her "adopted brother" in order to maintain her status.

Thinking of this, Liu Yun felt a complex and indescribable emotion welling up inside her.

It's a bit subtle, and I feel slightly disgusted.

But I don't particularly dislike it.

After all, Iori is really quite pretty...

Therefore, Ryuun did not stop Eguchi Sukezaemon.

A moment later, a loud voice could be heard from outside: "For the sake of peace in the territory, Lord Liuyun has decided to marry Lady Yizhi! Although there is no time for a wedding, the matter has been settled, so everyone should prepare well!"

Then, Lady Iori slowly rose, took graceful steps, and walked to Liu Yun's side. She knelt down with poise and said softly, "My lord, please guide me in the future..."

Chapter Six: The Transmigrated Protagonist, Worse Than a Beast

With his loud voice, Eguchi Sukezaemon soon announced that Ryuun and Iori were going to get married.

Then he went home excitedly.

It was already dark, and time for dinner.

Although Eguchi Sukezaemon was a bachelor, as a samurai lord he owned a mansion with a yard in the village and had two servants to attend to him, so he took his leave and went home.

"Sasaki-kan" requires three pairs of chopsticks.

Aside from the new lord Liuyun, the old monk Xinghe and the young monk Suifeng, being newcomers, could only mooch meals from him.

Lady Iori had already calmly arranged the meal.

The maids brought in containers of various sizes, and the group sat in a circle, with Liuyun in the main seat.

There's not much to say about the dishes; just dried fish, taro, radish, and wild vegetables.

The only advantages over poor farmers are that they can afford to add more salt, miso, and sauce so it's not too bland, and the refined rice they cook is white and plentiful.

Based on these two points alone, the natives of this era were well-fed.

For example, the monks Xinghe and Suifeng.

Their Buddhist practice was clearly not very advanced; they were wolfing down their food with gusto.

The difference is that the old monk Xinghe felt a little ashamed after eating, and deeply reflected on his actions, saying that he was "as gluttonous as a beast."

The young monk Suifeng had no such awareness at all. After finishing his meal, he licked the bowl and plate clean before reluctantly putting down his chopsticks.

Liu Yun felt very gratified, thinking that at least the goal of improving the lives of his uncle and junior brothers had been initially achieved.

He certainly wouldn't consider white rice with dried fish and radish soup to be a delicacy.

In the 21st century, coarse grains and wild vegetables are actually good things.

Moreover, she hadn't yet recovered from the recent marital troubles, so she didn't have time to eat.

After dinner, Ise instructed the maids to tidy up the household items, light a fire to boil water, and arrange for everyone to go to bed. She seemed to have managed the household very well.

Liu Yun naturally got the most spacious and comfortable bedroom, with someone making the bed and serving her, and hot water brought right to her side, which she accepted without a care in the world.

It is said that it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance.

In fact, Liu Yun had no time to consider the question of "frugality" or "luxury." Once inside the room, he sat there in a daze, not even bothering to observe what furniture was in the room.

This is the first time in my two lifetimes that I've considered marriage, and to make matters worse, people are begging me to marry them. It's quite an experience.

As for the ambiguous expressions on the faces of the servants and maids as they led the way, Liu Yun didn't notice them at all.

He was alone in his room, thinking and tossing and turning for about 15 minutes.

then--

After Lady Iori finished washing up with the help of her maids, she also went in... she also went in...

Same bedroom!

Eyes facing each other.

Everyone's wearing loose, form-fitting clothes now. Even things that shouldn't be seen are still vaguely visible...

Iori blushed instantly and lowered her head.

Liu Yun was also startled and quickly got up.

Rather than feeling excited or surprised, he felt more of a sense of "warning".

Perhaps it's because I've been fighting monsters for the past few years that I've developed some occupational hazards.

Upon realizing this, Liu Yun looked around and immediately noticed that the room she was in contained many women's clothing and accessories, as well as many items that looked like cosmetics, all of which seemed to be of high quality.

This is probably the main hall of the "Sasaki Mansion," the place where the lord and his wife lived daily.

I didn't see many men's personal items...

Thinking about how Iori's deceased husband, who was also her older brother, had been dead for almost three months, her grave was probably already overgrown with grass, and her belongings were likely either thrown away or put away. It didn't seem out of the ordinary.

At the same time, Ryuun's eyes involuntarily focused on Iori...

Since we're in the same room, there's no way to avoid it.

Now, instead of the loose and serious kosode she wore during the day, she's wearing a fitted, cinched-waist yukata.

Almost everything, from top to bottom, is on full display.

Her hair was completely loose and hung down over her shoulders, creating the most classic "long, straight black" style.

If a romantic and talented scholar were here, he might recite a line from Cao Zhi's "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River": "Her figure was perfectly proportioned, neither too plump nor too slender; her shoulders were like those of a sculpted figure, her waist as slender as a silken thread."

Unfortunately, Liu Yun wasn't very well-educated in either of his lives, and all he could think of was Li Yunlong's line, "We have to find a way to fire a shot."

To be fair, her appearance and figure are somewhat inferior to those of the top educators I've seen on the internet in my previous life.

But the impact of someone standing right in front of you is far greater than that of a screen.

Coupled with this gentle and shy lowering of her head.

Kids simply can't resist watching this!

At this moment, Liu Yun took a deep breath, suppressed the inappropriate emotions in her heart, and suddenly became extremely clear-headed.

He understood—the guy Eguchi Sukezaemon had just shouted, "For the peace of the territory, Lord Ryuun has decided to marry Lady Iori!" and clearly everyone nearby had heard it.

Then the servant, perhaps also impatient or acting on someone's orders, led him into Iori's room.

That's true. This "Sasaki Mansion" is called a castle but it's actually just a small village. Maybe only this bedroom is decent, so it should belong to the head of the household.

However, Lady Iori, as the mistress of the house, has already settled here and cannot move out in the short term.

Since the two of you have already decided to get married, let's just make do...

This can't be left as is!

It's not a simple matter for an adult male and an adult female to live under the same roof.

It could very well result in someone's death!

Thinking about it this way, Lady Iori isn't a child; she couldn't possibly be unaware of the reasons behind it. Since she didn't refuse this arrangement but rather went along with it somewhat reluctantly, this means…

This shows that she has made thorough preparations!

The problem is that Liu Yun feels he is not psychologically prepared yet.

Although physiologically I'm actually ready—or rather, as a strong and young man, I'm always ready in this regard, ready to venture into dangerous territory at any moment…

However, what distinguishes humans from animals is that humans can restrain themselves with morality and reason, and will not be completely driven by physiological desires.

Humans are not beasts.

But at that moment, Liu Yun suddenly remembered that a famous writer had once said a classic line: "To lose humanity is to lose a lot; to lose animality is to lose everything."

This statement seems to make a lot of sense in certain situations.

To lose one's animalistic nature is, in other words, to be worse than a beast.

If, in order to avoid becoming a beast, one ends up being worse than a beast, wouldn't that be counterproductive?

So, it really was...

Liu Yun hesitated for a moment.