Swallow Return

But judging from this, it's clear that the old man Saito Asanobu is not going to say anything more.

Forcing the other person to continue talking is neither classy nor gentlemanly, and it's not Liu Yun's style.

So he simply nodded reservedly and calmly said, "Okay, let's talk again when we have time."

Then he went to his room to sleep.

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Humans and Monsters in the Desolate Wilderness

Just as Saito Asanobu had said, on the morning of the third day, after leaving the small town called "Yuzawa-cho", heading south, it gradually felt like we were crossing the border.

First and foremost, the overall terrain transitions from plains to mountains, the ground becomes increasingly uneven, and the routes become winding and rugged, often requiring long detours or climbing up and down slopes to pass through.

Then the number of people on the streets suddenly decreased, and there were hardly any pedestrians to be seen, let alone caravans. Moreover, the streets themselves were overgrown with weeds and severely damaged due to lack of maintenance.

Along the way, one can see many building ruins and abandoned fields.

Some corpses were even left by the roadside, exposed to wind and rain, rotting and stinking, and most of them were eaten away by wild animals, revealing their bare bones.

The first time he saw it, Liu Yun couldn't bear to look at it, so he picked some weeds nearby, piled them up, made a fire, and burned the remains.

At this moment, Saito Asanobu, the "Echigo Zhong Kui," simply watched quietly from the side, lost in thought.

The same approach was used the second time.

But after the third or fourth time, I lost interest in dealing with it.

In just over an hour, four unattended corpses were found. People living in chaotic times may have gotten used to it, but Liu Yun's mood was still quite low.

In contrast to the desolation of the countryside, this mountainous region has a great many towns.

You can usually see one in the distance after walking for about 15 or 25 minutes.

Although it's called a city, strictly speaking it can only be considered a mountain stronghold, about the same size as Liu Yun's so-called "Sasaki Mansion," just an earthen enclosure less than a hundred paces in circumference.

Only near these earthen walls can one see large tracts of dry fields planted with miscellaneous grains such as millet and barley.

It is estimated that there is not enough water in the mountains, so they can only rely on these drought-resistant crops as food to make a living.

There were some farmers working or passing by in the dry fields, which at least gave the area a little bit of a sense of life.

However, regardless of age or gender, everyone seemed extremely wary.

Whenever Ryuun and Saito Asanobu approached a place, the farmers would drop what they were doing and keep their distance, trying their best to avoid any contact.

Liu Yun didn't quite understand this.

Saito Asanobu said calmly, "For the past twenty years, almost all the outsiders who have come to Ueno have been there to launch military campaigns, rather than to do business or... cough cough... visit relatives and friends. So the farmers' reaction comes from long-standing habits."

Hearing this, Liu Yun felt even heavier.

I realized once again that the unification of the country was indeed beneficial to the common people.

……

It's not surprising that we didn't see any commercial towns or cities all day in such a desolate and backward place.

Liu Yun even suspected that there might not be any place in the entire Ueno Province that was called a "town".

Saito Tomonobu told him that in the western Takeda territory, there was a castle town at Minowa Castle with about thirty or forty shops. Then, in the southeastern Hojo territory, due to its proximity to the Kanto Plain, the economy was fairly good. Elsewhere, there really wasn't any.

Then the question comes-

Since there are no towns or cities, and the local people are very wary, where should we go to stay?

The answer is: Ask a monk for help.

After a day of winding, undulating journey, at sunset, Saito Asanobu brought Ryuun to a small rural temple.

It's a wonderful place, with bamboo groves, a small pond, cliffs, and waterfalls nearby. Looking down at the blue sky and white clouds, and down at the green mountains and plants, there's absolutely no outside interference. It must be a paradise for cultivating one's mind and body.

However, that little temple was really too dilapidated.

The walls were covered with green moss, the copper plating on the door was rusted, and the corners of the roof were broken and drafty, with no one repairing it.

It was even more desolate than the place where Liu Yun lived with his Uncle Xinghe and Junior Brother Suifeng in Aoyu back then.

Generally speaking, monks have a high status in Japan and are deeply respected by the people, so how could they end up in such a miserable state?

Liu Yun asked this question.

Saito Asanobu explained: "The learned and talented monks all try to stay at other temples. Those who are willing to stay... cough cough... those who are willing to stay are all dull and honest monks. They can only recite scriptures so-so, and they are not good at praying for the people's well-being."

Liu Yun suddenly realized: "It seems that monks, like merchants, tend to flock to prosperous places."

Upon hearing this, Saito Asanobu's scarred face showed a strange expression, as if he wanted to refute it, but he said nothing, coughed twice, and went to knock on the door.

A little while later, two honest, poor monks came out. They only charged ten coins for incense money, and then provided lodging and meals.

Saito Asanobu seemed to have some connection with the monks in the temple, and offered to help repair the roof.

This slightly changed Liu Yun's impression of him.

I just don't understand, when did a proper samurai learn the skills of a construction worker?

Unexpectedly, Saito Asanobu's method of repairing the roof was quite unique—he took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, released some kind of little monster from the bottle, and then ordered the little monster to work, while he himself watched from the side as a supervisor.

This appearance truly lives up to its name as "Zhong Kui of Echigo".

While Zhong Kui commands little ghosts, he commands little demons; they're practically the same in that respect.

It's easy to imagine that the environment of this dilapidated temple was not very good.

Dinner consisted of a porridge made from a mixture of millet and barley, along with a piece of pickled cucumber.

There were no wooden floors, let alone tatami mats. The beds were made by placing straw on the uneven, muddy ground, covering it with coarse linen.

Liu Yun shook his head upon seeing this.

But Saito Asanobu advised him, "Enjoy it! Tomorrow night, we might have to sleep outdoors... cough... cough cough!"

……

On the fourth day, we set off, seemingly heading deeper into the mountains. The terrain became increasingly steep and uneven, and the roads were rugged and narrow.

After walking for an hour or two, there was no longer any "road" at all; it was a desolate mountain, completely untouched by human civilization.

If it were just Liu Yun by himself, he probably wouldn't even be able to distinguish east from west, north from south.

They had no choice but to let Saito Asanobu lead the way.

Then, at midday, a large wild boar suddenly appeared in front of them.

That guy was ferocious and burly, with fangs that were nearly a foot long.

This has exceeded the extent of natural growth, and it is estimated that it contains some demonic elements.

There probably weren't many good prey in the mountains during winter, and the wild boar was extremely hungry, so it immediately roared and pounced on Liuyun.

It truly lives up to the name "pig rush".

If it were a regular traveler, they would probably have perished here. But regular travelers probably wouldn't bother going to such a remote place for no reason.

Liu Yun, however, took it all in stride; he had dealt with far more powerful monsters than this wild boar.

With a single slash of his sword, he turned the wild boar into a dead one.

Saito Asanobu laughed, "We're going to have a delicious meal today! Cough cough... cough cough..."

The guy coughed a few times, then took out a small bottle from his pocket, summoned a few little monsters, and ordered them to slaughter a wild boar, pick out the best and tenderest meat, roast it over a fire, and bring it over to eat.

Liu Yun thought to himself, "This skill is really useful!"

After the little monsters finished their work, they picked up the remaining meat, bones, and internal organs, and roasted and ate them themselves.

The best of everything was served, and I didn't dare touch anything.

Liu Yun ate heartily without any hesitation.

I picked up a piece of steaming hot wild boar meat, took a bite, and exclaimed "Delicious!" in my heart.

Although the seasonings were limited, consisting only of coarse salt and brown sugar that I carried with me, the aroma of burning fat combined with the tender and chewy texture was enough to awaken the deepest desires in every foodie's heart.

Saito Asanobu laughed upon seeing this, saying, "I used to think that the samurai of Kinki were more disciplined and wouldn't eat meat so unrestrainedly! I didn't expect that you are just like us Echigo... cough cough... just like us country folk from Echigo!"

The drifting clouds remained unmoved.

So what if a bunch of nobles and old aristocrats have a habit of not eating meat? What business is it of mine?

……

After such a hearty meal, Liu Yun felt much better and was no longer so concerned about sleeping outdoors.

They continued to follow Saito Asanobu as they climbed mountains and traveled through the desolate wilderness.

Unexpectedly, at sunset, they discovered a simple thatched house in the mountains, with smoke rising from its chimney!

Upon seeing this, Liu Yun clapped his hands and laughed, "It seems you are wrong. We don't need to sleep outdoors today."

Saito Asanobu's scarred face was filled with doubt. He coughed a few times and said solemnly, "This place is not far from 'Poison Island,' how could anyone live here? We need to be careful, it might be a monster... cough cough... When I came here three years ago, no one lived nearby..."

Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Half-Human, Half-Demon Old Woman (Part 1)

Saito Asanobu is absolutely right.

In this desolate wilderness, where no human activity had been seen for most of the day, the sudden appearance of a house with smoke rising from its chimney, and which was kept clean, was indeed a bit suspicious.

But Liu Yun's reaction was: "If it's a monster, shouldn't we go and check it out?"

Saito Asanobu was silent for a moment before agreeing: "I am known as 'Echigo Zhong Kui' and am a professional exorcist. Your martial arts skills are more than enough to deal with most monsters... cough cough... We really need to go and take a look. If there are any evil spirits, we can also exorcise them."

Liu Yun nodded, strode closer, knocked twice on the door of the house, and called out, "Is anyone home? We are travelers passing through and would like to ask for lodging!"

Saito Asanobu followed silently behind, coughing as he went.

After a while, someone inside the house responded: "Ah! Please wait a moment, I'll be right there!"

Then came the sound of unsteady footsteps, and a moment later the bamboo door creaked open.

The man who appeared before them was an old man with white hair and beard, a hunched back, thin as a rake and pale as a fish. He was dressed in old hemp clothes and straw sandals, clearly a poor man without power or influence.

He squinted at the outside for a long time before bowing with difficulty and saying, "Greetings, guests."

Upon closer inspection, Liu Yun discovered that the person possessed no suspicious aura whatsoever and was undoubtedly an ordinary human, which surprised him slightly.

In this desolate wilderness, how can the old man, whose legs are already weak, survive? How will he make a living?

Saito Asanobu was also very puzzled.