Swallow Return

Liu Yun pondered for a moment, then asked, "Soon, I will likely have the opportunity to represent the Oda clan in battle, perhaps even against the Takeda clan. If I happen to encounter your relatives..."

Saeko Busujima clenched her fists, her eyes filled with sorrow, but her tone was resolute: "Just like those who killed my demonic father, these accomplices should also pay the price!"

Liu Yun nodded.

Saeko Busujima breathed a sigh of relief, loosened her fist, and then asked timidly, "Master... will Master think I... will think I'm too cold-blooded and violent, lacking any of the compassion a woman should have..."

Liu Yun immediately laughed and said, "You're overthinking it! If you repay evil with kindness, how will you repay kindness? What's there to tolerate in these beasts who violate human ethics and organize human sacrifices? Forgiving them is a matter for gods and Buddhas, and what we need to do is send them to see the gods and Buddhas."

Upon hearing this, the girl's eyes finally lit up again.

……

Actually, since it was Liu Yun's first time here, he was unfamiliar with the terrain in this area.

However, he had long suspected that the Uesugi family might abandon him after using him, so he had memorized the map beforehand.

The Uesugi family is indeed so tasteless; we definitely can't go back from Echigo now.

Ryuun's chosen route was to continue eastward to the Shimotsu and Hitachi areas, then take the sea route to Owari, and finally return home.

So the first step is to leave the desolate wilderness of the Ueno area.

The terrain was very difficult to traverse, but fortunately, Ryuun was exceptionally gifted and had a superior physique, making it easy for him to cross mountains and valleys. As for Saeko Busujima, she seemed to be in a very strange state. Although she had a physical body, her dietary requirements were far lower than those of a normal person, and she did not easily feel fatigue or hot and cold. Moreover, her martial arts skills were quite good.

The two spent most of the day crossing the towering mountains with relative ease, and finally saw the rolling plains, wide roads, and lively streams again.

This is the Kanto region, which is characterized by its fertile soil, abundant water resources, and well-developed transportation.

Within Japan, the Kanto region's agricultural and commercial economy is second only to the Kinki region, so its political and cultural influence is also second, making it a desirable place to live.

But the problem now is that, like other regions, it has fallen into a chaotic war.

After leaving the mountains and reaching the plains, Liu Yun deduced that he must be somewhere in Shimotsuke Province.

Currently, Shimotsuke Province has many powerful forces, such as Utsunomiya, Nasu, Sano, and Koyama. The most powerful of these forces is only at the level of a village head, while the weakest may only have less than ten small villages.

With things in such chaos, normal trade and transportation activities are impossible.

So, although the land was flat, the roads were wide, and there were many rivers, there were few pedestrians.

Naturally, there would be no commercial towns.

I don't know if the residents here don't do business at all and are purely self-sufficient, or if they have some other special channels.

After walking along the road for a while, we saw a group of people carefully tending to their crops around a small earthen and wooden fortress.

Liu Yun was merely passing through. Upon seeing the unfamiliar face from afar, the farmers in the fields panicked and fled, clutching bamboo spears and wooden bows, shouting loudly, "If you're looking for relatives, give us your names! If you have any questions, please go to the city and find the samurai lord! We are just farmers who know nothing, please do not come near us!"

Such words.

Although both are located in war-torn areas, the farmers in the Shimotsuke Plain seem to live a little more comfortably than those in the Ueno Mountains. They are generally not as emaciated, and their clothes have fewer patches.

These villagers had no idea that this seemingly pretentious man, who was out hiking with a girl, could easily overpower them if he truly harbored malicious intent. Even if the entire village sold everything they owned and attacked him, they wouldn't last ten minutes.

There are many forces in this area with fewer than ten thousand people and only a few hundred soldiers. Although they can call themselves "daimyo", they may not be able to defeat Liuyun alone in a fight.

Of course, Liu Yun wouldn't do something so heinous.

There's no benefit to it...

No, it should be said that even if there were benefits, such a heinous thing should not be done.

Liu Yun walked from dawn until sunset without finding any inns, so he had to find a dilapidated temple in the wilderness to rest.

There's no need to worry about keeping watch, because Saeko Busujima is in such a state that she can go for several days without eating, drinking, or sleeping without any problems.

He slept fully clothed and spent the night outdoors, and of course nothing happened.

You know how it feels to be out in the middle of nowhere, right...?

The next day, they set off again and traveled along the main road for half a day, covering a distance of about twenty or thirty kilometers, until they finally came to a small town guarded by soldiers.

Although it is not large in scale, with only two small streets, thirty or forty shops, and a hundred or so merchants.

But it is, after all, a symbol of civilized society.

Upon entering and inquiring, they discovered they had entered the territory of the Hitachi Satake family.

The Hitachi Satake family was also a powerful clan in the Kanto region, with an estimated strength of over 600,000 koku. Only by maintaining peace in their region could they afford to develop commerce.

Liu Yun rented a room in the small town, took a shower, changed his clothes, and felt refreshed. He then saw a carriage company, paid the fare, and rode east to the seaside port. He then boarded a passenger ship bound for Owari, officially embarking on his return journey.

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Chapter Ninety-Four: Results Awaiting Confirmation

After boarding the passenger ship in Hitachi and drifting at sea for several days, we landed near Tsu Island in Owari. The sea breeze and the waves made the journey quite peaceful.

Then a little trouble arose.

I heard that the disciples of the Ikko-shu sect in the Nagashima area are causing a huge disturbance, which is seriously affecting traffic. It is impossible to go directly from Owari to Omi. You have to go north first to Inoguchi Town in Mino Province, and then make a left turn of more than 90 degrees before you can pass.

Liu Yun was not afraid of war, but he had just finished a mission and was a little tired. He was too lazy to get involved in the mess, so he went with the flow and took a detour.

Throughout the journey, he continued to spend lavishly, accompanied by girls who appeared to be maids or concubines. He seemed like a spoiled brat who was unaware of the dangers of the world, a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

Unlike when he went to Echigo, this time he did not encounter any thieves who wanted to steal his money and kill him.

It's unclear whether it was simply good luck or Liu Yun's confident demeanor that deterred the heroes of the martial world from making any rash moves.

In short, it took more than ten days to get back to the Kinki region from the Kanto region.

I went there at the end of November, and now it's almost Chinese New Year.

Logically, they should go directly to Oda Nobunaga to complete the mission. However, Ryuun didn't know where this "benefactor" was currently working, so as usual, he first took Busujima Saeko to Yokoyama Castle in Omi Province to find Kinoshita Tokichiro.

This place is still more familiar.

He had been to Yokoyama Castle many times before, and regardless of what impressions people had of Sasaki Ryuun, everyone knew he was a guest of honor of the castle lord. However, because he had taken the "Illusionary Beauty Pill" before setting off, its effects hadn't worn off yet, and the guards at the gate didn't recognize him.

Moreover, according to the official statement made to the public, Sasaki Ryuun should currently be under Oda Nobunaga's order to be confined to Yokoyama Castle for self-reflection, and should not even be allowed to return home for the New Year.

They weren't flustered at all, and simply handed over a wooden sign.

Then, after waiting for about fifteen minutes, an excited shout came from inside: "Brother Liuyun, you've probably done a great job! I've also benefited a bit from this, haha!"

Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be a short, stout samurai in fine clothes—Kinoshita Tokichiro himself.

As usual, he showed none of the aura or demeanor of a "nobleman." He didn't even wear straw sandals, and ran over excitedly, grinning like a bearded child. He stood on tiptoe, patted Liuyun's shoulder, and said in a low voice, "We have received definite news that sixteen days ago, Takeda Daizen (Shingen) was supposed to preside over a blessing ceremony that lasted all night, but suddenly his complexion turned pale at dawn, and he left early without giving a reason; thirteen days ago, the Takeda clan significantly increased its procurement of food, weapons, and various supplies; seven days ago, the people of Kai and Shinano were ordered to muster their troops and prepare for war as soon as spring arrives... Do you know what this means?"

Liu Yun guessed, "Perhaps the longevity formation has indeed been broken, and Takeda Shingen feels that his days are numbered and wants to speed up his march to Kyoto?"

“That’s right!” Kinoshita Tokichiro clapped his hands excitedly and jumped up and down twice, chuckling, “Let’s talk about the details when we get to town… Hey, Brother Ryuyun, why did you bring back a girl? No, no… Look at my mouth, what’s the point of asking that? We’re all men, we know, we know, we’re all the same…”

Liu Yun thought to himself, "Who's like you, you lecherous monkey!"

But in front of her, he could only smile reservedly and introduce her, saying, "This is a pitiful woman I met by chance, so I've decided to take her in."

"Mhm!" Kinoshita Tokichiro nodded seriously: "I absolutely believe that you just took her in out of kindness and didn't have any ulterior motives."

Liu Yun glanced at him irritably and said, "I didn't have any weird ideas in the first place!"

Kinoshita Tokichiro widened his eyes and feigned innocence: "Brother Ryuyun, that's not right. I didn't say you had it, did I? Didn't I say I believed you?"

This is hard to explain...

Liu Yun was too lazy to waste words. Seeing that Saeko Busujima behind him was standing respectfully to the side, he said to her, "This is Lord Kinoshita Tokichiro, the lord of Yokoyama Castle. He is my superior. Although he is a great figure in the Oda family, he doesn't have any manners."

Hearing this, she breathed a sigh of relief and bowed gracefully, saying, "Greetings, Lord Kinoshita! I am Lord Sasaki Ryūun's new concubine... a new concubine."

When she said this, Saeko Busujima was slightly shy, and her face flushed slightly, but overall she was much bolder than the average Japanese woman of this era, and still retained a heroic and spirited demeanor.

Kinoshita Tokichiro's eyes widened upon hearing this: "Brother Ryuyun, you still say you have no ideas?"

At this moment, Liu Yun felt a little embarrassed and looked around, unsure of how to answer.

Unexpectedly, Saeko Busujima, upon seeing this, did not hesitate to defend him: "Lord Kinoshita, please understand that Lord Sasaki Ryūun is indeed a samurai of noble character and has never coveted anything... It was only after I repeatedly pleaded with him that he agreed to accept it."

Kinoshita Tokichiro was stunned. Then he shook his head and sighed, looking at Ryuyun with admiration, and said, "Brother, you're really something! I thought I was pretty good at dealing with women, but now it seems I'm nothing compared to you!"

Liu Yun coughed twice helplessly and said, "Let's go inside and talk business."

……

After entering Yokoyama Castle, Ryuun told Saeko Busujima to stay at the "Sasaki Residence" first, and she immediately obeyed.

Then Kinoshita Tokichiro's expression turned serious. He stopped joking and began to explain the situation in a serious manner.

From him, Liu Yun learned that the destruction of the "Life-Extending Formation" had been corroborated by several channels, giving them a 50-60% certainty. However, it was not yet 100% credible and required further investigation.

However, what is certain is that Takeda Shingen suddenly accelerated the pace of military preparations, making it clear that he would attack after the spring.

The non-aggression pact that had been made with the Oda clan was now effectively null and void.

Of course, such things were all too common in the chaotic Warring States period, and it's not worth criticizing them for.

The key question is, how should we deal with such a formidable enemy?

Oda Nobunaga's idea was that if it could be confirmed that Takeda Shingen was nearing the end of his life, then in the long run, there would be no need to worry. He could let his loyal ally Tokugawa Ieyasu do his best to hold off Takeda's army alone, while Oda's soldiers took the opportunity to wipe out the remaining enemies in the Kinai region, such as the Miyoshi, Rokkaku, Honganji, Asakura, and Asai.

From a macro perspective, this line of thinking is sound.

It's inevitable that our allies will have to work hard. Even though Takeda Shingen wouldn't live much longer, Tokugawa Ieyasu, facing a stronger opponent, would still have to expend a great deal of effort to get through this difficult period.

The saying "better to die for a friend than for yourself" is just human nature...

All of the above is not of much concern to Liu Yun. He doesn't need to concern himself with the Oda clan's major policies at the moment.

All you need to know is that you did indeed destroy Takeda Shingen's longevity formation, and then you can wait to be rewarded.

Liu Yun also gave a general account of the mission.

The main point wasn't the journey to Echigo, where they would meet up with members of the Uesugi family, break the spell on Busu Island, and fight the monsters.

The key issue is that the Uesugi family harbored ill intentions, and Saito Asanobu, known as the "Echigo Zhong Kui," along with Kato Danzo, a ninja from Xuanyuan Village, actually attempted to murder Ryuun. Fortunately, they failed, and Ryuun successfully fought back and killed them.

This is something I have to tell you.

Kinoshita Tokichiro was quite shocked, but didn't react immediately. After a moment's thought, he promised, "We'll settle this score sooner or later." Then he chuckled and said, "Brother Ryuun's contribution this time is truly earth-shattering! Once verified, he'll be at least a ten-thousand-koku official. But I've already spoken with Lord Danjo (Oda Nobunaga), so you'll still be helping me out from now on, hehe..."

Liu Yun half-jokingly asked, "Wan Shi Zhi Xing, is that enough to drink monk's wine and eat sea bream, lobster, and whale tempura every day?"

Kinoshita Tokichiro paused, then smiled wryly and said, "That's definitely enough. But you still have to support servants, conscript soldiers, build the castle... There are so many places to spend money, I'm afraid you can't just use it for enjoyment!"

Liu Yun sighed, "It seems we still need to work harder."

Kinoshita Tokichiro laughed heartily.