Swallow Return

In this gray, misty world, besides Liu Yun, Saito Asanobu, and the clown called "Demon," there was suddenly another person.

She was a young girl wearing a red samurai outfit, with long, flowing hair and a youthful, pretty face.

This girl, like the clown, possessed a faint demonic aura; they seemed to be of the same kind.

The difference is that the masked dwarf is less than four feet tall, while the girl in red is clearly over five feet tall, a figure that would be considered exceptionally tall in this era.

Holding a long katana, her face was as cold as ice, her eyes filled with rage. She roared at Ryuun and Saito Asanobu, "You helped that old couple, so you must be kind people. But why did you come here? Don't tell me you're not afraid of death. What's coming next will be worse than death. After your physical bodies die, your souls will be transformed by illusion magic, you'll lose consciousness, and become this demon's puppets and accomplices!"

Saito Asanobu was even more astonished upon hearing this and was speechless.

Liu Yun, as if suddenly realizing something, clapped his hands and said, "So you are the red-clad female swordswoman that the old couple mentioned who helped them. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Such a relaxed and carefree expression made the girl even angrier, and she glared fiercely at Liu Yun.

At this moment, the dwarf clown laughed and said, "My dear daughter, why don't you introduce our place to our guests?"

Upon hearing this, the girl flew into a rage and angrily cursed, "You demon, you don't deserve to be a human father! You've turned yourself into something neither human nor ghost, and you even use your own daughter to create evil illusions. You have absolutely no humanity left!"

The clown, who was called a "demon," remained unfazed and continued to laugh: "Haha! In a few years, with our help, the Takeda family will conquer the world, and I will be able to enjoy the incense offerings of the people and become a transcendent, immortal saint. I will share that with you then. This is my love for you, my daughter!"

"You demon, die!" The girl seemed to have lost her mind, and suddenly swung the long knife in her hand, attacking the clown.

But it was completely useless; it was like cutting into a pool of water, only creating a few ripples that quickly disappeared.

The girl shouted and slashed wildly, but to no avail. After a while, she was panting heavily, threw down her long sword, and hung her head in dejection, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Hey..." The clown shook his head dismissively, then turned to Ryuun and Saito Asanobu, saying, "Since my daughter is unwilling, I'll explain! You two already know that yokai can only exist by relying on 'obsession,' which is good, saving us a lot of trouble. However, what you don't understand is that obsession also has an outward appearance and an inner meaning. The faceless samurai in the first layer of illusion, on the surface, became a yokai because he failed to fulfill his duties in life. The young monk with the flower in the second layer of illusion, and Hakubozu, on the surface, became yokai because of the conflict between Buddhist precepts and the future of their sect. The merchant, the magistrate, and the thief in the third layer, on the surface, became yokai because of the anger of being deceived and killed—let's not discuss the contradictions in their words for now, at least on the surface. But this is only the 'outward appearance,' not the 'inner meaning.' As for what the 'inner meaning' really is? Haha, my dear daughter, don't you really intend to let these two kind-hearted people die knowing the truth?"

Upon hearing this, the girl in red silently picked up the long sword, slowly approached, and looked at Liu Yun and Saito Asanobu, her eyes filled with sorrow and despair.

Then she spoke blankly and woodenly, "Okay... although it's not very useful, I guess if you hear it, maybe you'll have a little more hope of defeating this demon? Heh..."

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Chapter 88 The Tragedy of a Young Girl's Three Lifetimes

There is a saying: "Nothing is more sorrowful than a dead heart."

The girl in red holding a sword is probably no longer human or demon, and is indifferent to life and death.

But her expression could be best described as "the greatest sorrow is a broken heart".

A cold, girlish voice, devoid of any inflection, echoed in the hazy, white mist: "I have three memories from my past lives."

"The first illusion you see comes from four hundred years ago. In that life, I was a young lady of the Taira clan. After being defeated by the Minamoto clan, my father ordered a trusted retainer to take me away and instructed him to kill me if necessary, so that I would not be captured and humiliated by the Minamoto clan."

"Sure enough, not long after, our Minamoto clan soldiers chased me into an unfamiliar cave. There was no way to escape. But that retainer didn't obey orders to kill me. Instead... instead, he wanted to possess my body before he died. He was like a madman, saying that he had long been unable to resist seeing my arms and legs exposed when I wielded my sword..."

“In that life, I was not like other noble ladies who were quiet and gentle. Instead, I loved swords and spears all day long and often secretly asked acquaintances to take me to the martial arts dojo to play... I never expected that it would lead to such a terrible result. However, I did not let that retainer succeed. Instead, I drew his short sword and killed this retainer who had lost his mind.”

"Originally, I planned to kill this guy and then die myself, to preserve the honor of the Taira clan's daughter. Unexpectedly, when I plunged the dagger into my retainer's chest and saw the blood spurt out, I felt an unprecedented joy and pleasure. I was so surprised that I was stunned and ended up being captured by the Minamoto clan's soldiers and becoming a prisoner. Fortunately, the final outcome wasn't too bad. I was allowed to become a nun and didn't suffer... didn't suffer too much torture. Although many people still think I should have committed suicide long ago, that living was just a shameless act of cowardice, I did survive after all."

"This is the story of the first layer of illusion. On the surface, it is the vassal who, out of guilt for not fulfilling his duty, transformed into the monster 'Faceless Warrior'. In reality, it is because he is afraid that his evil deeds before his death will be exposed to future generations, and therefore he is unwilling to honestly enter the cycle of reincarnation."

Liu Yun nodded in realization: "I see."

Saito Asanobu seemed to have thought of something particularly terrifying, and his face turned deathly pale.

The red-clad swordswoman paused for a moment, then spoke again:

"The second layer of illusion is from two hundred years ago. In that life, I was just a flower girl living near a temple. The temple had already declined and was not strictly managed. Because I liked swords and spears, I secretly sneaked to the place where the martial monks practiced to play, but was discovered by a young Zen master."

“I was very scared, not knowing what would happen. But the young Zen master smiled and said he wouldn’t tell anyone else. I breathed a sigh of relief and asked him what kind of flower he liked. He said lotus, so I picked the best-blooming lotus and gave it to him.”

"I don't know why, but the fact that I gave flowers to the young Zen master suddenly became known to everyone. The old monk in charge of the temple was furious and expelled me, ordering me not to come within 500 paces of the temple. Later I found out that they felt I had ruined a great opportunity for the temple to revitalize."

“I didn’t know what happened next. It was only after this demon set up the illusion that he told me triumphantly. At that time… when the young Zen master was meditating that night, he thought of my appearance and couldn’t help but… couldn’t help but masturbate, causing the precious Buddhist scriptures to be contaminated with filth. The young Zen master was also frightened as a result, and his cultivation level greatly declined.”

"As for the old monk's matter... well, this devil next to me told me about it. It turns out that the reason why the young Zen master developed worldly desires was because he accidentally saw a book about love between men and women in the temple, and that book was secretly brought into the temple by the sanctimonious old monk."

"In that life, I was cursed and blamed by everyone near the temple, and eventually died in the wilderness. They all said that I was the reason the temple could not be revived, and therefore, all the people around who depended on the temple for a living could not live a better life. There was also an old lady who tried to kill me but I killed her instead. In that life, I was actually intoxicated by the sight of blood. What a coincidence... Never mind, there's nothing more to say."

"This is the story of the second layer of illusion. On the surface, the young monk who carried flowers turned into a demon because he was moved by worldly desires and could not abide by the precepts; on the surface, the white monk turned into a demon because he was worried about the future of the temple and sect. But in fact, the two of them had a common obsession, which was that they did not want their shameful deeds to be known by others."

Liu Yun nodded and speculated, "I estimate the third floor will be about the same."

Saito Asanobu seemed a little flustered at this moment, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

This time, the red-clad swordswoman paused for an even longer time before speaking softly, "The third layer of the illusion happened a hundred years ago. At that time, I was the daughter of a deputy official."

"In that life, my father was from a branch of the Takatsukasa family. He was entrusted by the head of the family to serve as an acting official and manage the estate in another region for ten years. Originally, the estate was doing very well and could make a profit without much effort. But my ambitious but incompetent father was deceived and embezzled public funds to buy so-called 'black market treasures that were eager to be sold.' In the end, he spent several thousand kan to bring back a fake. In order to make up for the deficit and cover up his crime, he wanted to marry me off to a wealthy merchant."

"He claims to be a wealthy merchant with immense riches, but he's actually just inherited a dozen or so shops from his father and grandfather. He's not good at managing them; he loses money every time he tries to do business. He just spends lavishly, pretending to be very rich. He came to my house to propose marriage because he's eyeing that manor. He wants to use marriage to gain exclusive rights to buy and sell within the manor to save his family's shops. I... I don't want to marry someone like that, and I've complained to my father several times. His reaction is always, 'Since your daughter is unhappy, then you'll have to pay more...'"

"There was another bandit... a bandit who called himself a Robin Hood-like hero who robbed the rich to help the poor. In that life, I don't know why, I also liked swords and guns. Once, I secretly went to practice in the wild and met this bandit. I even learned some moves from him. I originally thought he was a real hero, but later I found out that this guy actually killed and robbed lonely travelers. He didn't dare to mess with powerful people. His Robin Hood-like heroism was just empty boasting! His so-called status in the underworld was mostly fake."

"On the day of the wedding, there was no feud at all. It was just my father and the merchant who was about to become my husband haggling over the dowry. As for the robber, how could he dare to attack a shrine? He was carrying a fan that he had stolen from me, claiming to be my lover, and he only went there to demand hush money. It is true that he knocked over the candles and lamp oil, causing a fire, but it was not caused by fighting. It was all just a dispute over the amount of money."

"The bandits smashed open the chests the merchant had brought, revealing not jewels but stones. My father, who already suffered from a heart ailment, was so overwhelmed by the sight of these stones that he died of excitement. Some men tried to take advantage of me, but their martial arts skills were too poor, and I easily killed them. Even as I watched the blood flowing from their waists, I was still overjoyed, oblivious to the deaths of my father and fiancé, and even to the raging fire... Later, most of them died in the fire, including me in that lifetime. Afterwards, the rumors among the people portrayed me as a wicked woman who caused the disaster... As for the truth, it seems no one cared."

"This is the story of the third layer of illusion. Officials, merchants, and thieves, in order to cover up their cowardice and incompetence, desperately boast about themselves and belittle others, and it is because of this obsession that they become monsters."

The red-clad swordswoman has finished speaking.

Liu Yun immediately understood the key point: "What the three layers of illusion have in common is that everyone is avoiding diagnosis and covering up their mistakes. Even their dying words are righteous and awe-inspiring, which not only deceives outsiders but also reaches the point of deceiving themselves."

The red-clad swordswoman pointed blankly at the masked clown dwarf: "Those people you just saw—or rather, those monsters—are all trying to avoid their own flaws and elevate their own image. This demon uses the ugly side of people's hearts to maintain the illusion. Anyone trapped in such an obsession cannot be harmed after entering the illusion, and will gradually be bound and transformed... Fighting the monsters in the illusion will only greatly accelerate this process. Your companion seems to have fallen for it."

Liu Yun finally understood.

Saito Asanobu's attack was ineffective against the masked clown dwarf, probably because Saito Asanobu had been deeply corrupted by illusion magic.

No wonder this teammate was so dazed and motionless for so long; he had been secretly subdued.

As a high-ranking member of the Uesugi family, it's understandable that he might have some shameful secrets that he tries hard to conceal. Since he harbors a desire to hide his flaws and cover them up, he's likely to be susceptible to illusions.

Saito Asanobu probably knew this himself, but he was already helpless, which is why he looked so desperate.

As for the red-clad swordswoman, why were her sword strikes ineffective?

Liu Yun didn't understand, so he asked her directly, "Are you also bound by illusion magic and unable to attack the caster? I don't think you're responsible for the three things that just happened. Why hide it from everyone?"

Upon hearing this, the red-clad swordswoman's eyes fell into confusion.

The masked clown dwarf, as if hearing something amusing, laughed heartily and said, "In her first life, as a descendant of the Taira clan, she disobeyed orders to commit suicide and was instead captured and humiliated by the Minamoto clan. Did she live up to her family's expectations? In her second life, as a commoner dependent on a temple, she hindered its revival and caused thousands to lose hope. Wasn't that a sin? In her third life, knowing she was facing a predicament, she didn't try to mediate between her father's and husband's families, but instead attracted thieves, leading to war. Shouldn't she be condemned? Ultimately, as a woman, she shouldn't have been interested in weapons, let alone practiced martial arts in secret, exposing her body to outsiders and attracting evil thoughts... The culprit behind all three stories can be said to be this ignorant girl! It was she who most wanted to conceal these sins! Otherwise, how could my dear daughter have become the key to illusion?"

Chapter Eighty-Nine: A Heart Without Guilt in Slaying Demons and Eliminating Evil

"The culprit behind all three stories can be said to be this ignorant girl!"

The masked clown dwarf spoke with such confidence that he didn't see anything wrong with it.

The red-clad swordswoman bit her lip tightly, her face pale, and lowered her head, appearing to be in great pain.

It seems she doesn't have the courage to refute these accusations.

Saito Asanobu remained standing there, seemingly dazed, likely already quite affected by the illusion.

After hearing this, Liu Yun nodded seriously and said, "I understand. Just like Daji, Bao Si, Zhao Feiyan, and Yang Guifei."

The masked clown dwarf, clearly educated, laughed heartily upon hearing this: "That's right, it's precisely this kind of femme fatale who is worthy of being the key figure in this great illusion."

The red-clad swordswoman lowered her head deeply, obscuring her expression, but her hands and feet were trembling slightly.

Liu Yun shook his head and said, "What I mean is, just like Daji, Bao Si, Zhao Feiyan, and Yang Guifei, it is clearly the men who are incompetent and immoral and ruin the world, yet they still try to shift the blame onto women. It is utterly shameless!"

Upon hearing this, the red-clad female swordswoman raised her head in a daze.

The clown dwarf wearing a mask abruptly stopped laughing.

Liu Yun further stated righteously and sternly: "If a drunkard makes a mistake due to excessive drinking, can we blame the alcohol? If a thief injures someone with a knife, can we blame the knife? The so-called 'femme fatale' argument is just that absurd and ridiculous."

The red-clad female swordswoman slightly raised her head, seemingly lost in thought.

The masked clown dwarf snorted and said coldly, "Your companion has already lost his mind in the illusion, but you seem to be completely unaffected."

Liu Yun smiled slightly and said calmly, "He lost his mind because he had too many thoughts of avoiding treatment and covering up his mistakes. I was not affected, probably because I did not have such thoughts."

The masked clown dwarf asked suspiciously, "Do you dare say that you're not afraid of outsiders knowing everything you've done in your life?"

Liu Yun's tone was very assertive: "Why wouldn't I dare?"

The masked clown dwarf immediately shook his head repeatedly: "I don't believe that anything you've done so far has gone uncriticized. Wouldn't you try your best to cover up and deceive people about things that would be cursed and despised if made public?"

Liu Yun's face showed disdain: "What others say or think has nothing to do with me."

Upon hearing this, the masked clown dwarf fell silent, not uttering a single word.

Perhaps it's because I'm a Japanese person—no, I should say a Japanese youkai—that it's hard to understand why there are people in the world who don't care about how others see them.

But Liu Yun's words came entirely from his heart.

Simply put, it is a clear conscience, meaning that one can say anything without reservation.

For example, last month in Yokoyama Castle, he reported the magistrate who was harming the people, which led to the man committing suicide out of fear of punishment. An ordinary samurai would definitely try to find a way to shift the blame and reduce the impact, but Ryuun felt that he could live with his conscience. Even if his colleagues were wary of him because of this, he would not feel any regret.

Because they don't think they did anything wrong.

Even if you are indeed at fault and have unintentionally hurt innocent people, you should face it honestly, try to make amends, and learn from the experience. There is no need to cover up the truth or deceive others. The last thing you should do is deceive yourself.

Perhaps due to the painful experience of being an ordinary person in his previous life, Liu Yun deeply abhors the idea of ​​"covering up" and has no desire to get involved in it at all.

He took this for granted.

However… the masked clown dwarf appeared quite surprised. Looking Liu Yun up and down through the two holes in his mask, his tone gradually becoming panicked: “You…you might actually be a demon? Impossible, there’s no demonic aura! No, no…Ever since the bald monk Jianzhen made his grand vow, all humans in Japan have had to rely on the approval of those around them to survive; otherwise, they would surely perish and become impoverished. Only demons and monsters can disregard the opinions of those around them…”

These words surprised Liu Yun a little.

So the reason why Japanese people care so much about public opinion is not because of cultural reasons, but because of the manipulation by the monk Jianzhen?

At this moment, the young swordswoman in red suddenly took two steps closer to Liuyun, her face filled with hesitation and unease, her tone lacking any confidence: "You just said... I haven't done anything wrong, right? But... but in three lifetimes in a row, everyone connected to me has met with misfortune..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun shook his head without hesitation: "In my view, some of those unfortunate people brought about their own destruction, some were purely lucky, and some were harmed by an unreasonable system."

The red-clad female swordsman nodded blankly for a moment, then suddenly raised her head, her face flushed, her chest heaving, as if she had gathered immense courage to utter the words: "Then would you be willing to accept a woman like me by your side?"

Liu Yun paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I'm afraid that won't work."

The red-clad female swordsman's eyes suddenly became dull and lifeless.

But Ryuun immediately added in a teasing tone, "Unless you are willing to take the place of a concubine... My home is in Omi, my name is Sasaki Ryuun, and I already have a legal wife."

As soon as she finished speaking, the red-clad female swordswoman became joyful and excited, her whole body trembling. Then she covered her face and made a sound that was hard to tell whether it was sobbing or laughing wildly.

Liu Yun was a little confused. This young girl was so young, with a beautiful face and a tall, well-proportioned figure. She shouldn't be a spinster desperate to get married. He had only jokingly suggested that she be his concubine, but she didn't seem to feel wronged at all; on the contrary, she seemed very happy.

What's going on?