Swallow Return

Having finished speaking, Liu Yun still planned to rush home, even though it was already afternoon.

Kinoshita Tokichiro knew that he didn't like living in the city, so he didn't stop him. He nodded and said, "You must be tired from traveling so far. Take a good rest now. There will be plenty of opportunities to make a name for yourself after the New Year!"

Speaking of this, Liu Yun suddenly remembered something: "The 'Illusionary Beauty Pill' I took before leaving was supposed to take effect for three months. But I'm back after only one month. Is there any way to undo it? Otherwise, my family won't recognize me!"

Kinoshita Tokichiro, however, was prepared. He ordered someone to bring out a pill, saying, "I figured you'd be back soon, so I asked Lord Takenaka. He said a complete cure was impossible, but this pill will greatly shorten the duration of the effect. You can use it for now..."

Liu Yun felt somewhat helpless, but had no other choice but to take the pill and swallow it.

[Tip]: If you like this article, please recommend it to more friends! Sharing is a pleasure.

Chapter 95 Is this a Shura Field?

Kinoshita Tokichiro had set up a special "Sasaki Residence" inside Yokoyama Castle, but Ryuun did not intend to stay there overnight.

It was merely a matter of having Saeko Busujima, whom they had recently recruited, wait there while they discussed matters.

Unexpectedly—

Saeko Busujima said she saw three newly sewn winter coats and five letters from home in the house.

This surprised Liu Yun a bit.

I opened the letter and found out that it was all sent by Iori.

Iori was unaware of the true situation and only believed that Ryuun had indeed angered Oda Nobunaga and been imprisoned. Considering that it was winter and she was very worried about keeping warm, she hurriedly sewed three sets of warm clothes at home and sent them to Yokoyama Castle by her retainer Hayami Kiyobei.

Why are there five letters?

During the twenty-odd days that Ryuun was away, Iori would send a handwritten letter home every four or five days.

Obviously, she couldn't get any response, but she persisted. Moreover, there was no complaining tone in her writing; she just talked about her family situation and expressed her daily concern.

Seeing this, Liu Yun couldn't help but smile, feeling a warmth in her heart. She was even more eager to return home. She greeted Kinoshita Tokichiro and then impatiently stepped out of the city gate, heading home.

Kinoshita Tokichiro was quite thoughtful, ordering Maeno Nagayasu to take a few men, prepare horses, and escort Ryuun back.

Such kindness is too much to refuse.

Saeko Busujima didn't know how to ride a horse, so Ryuun pulled her close and the two rode together.

Saeko Busujima accepted this readily without any embarrassment.

On the way, she asked somewhat nervously, "Master, what kind of person is your principal wife?"

Without hesitation, Liu Yun replied, "She is a gentle and well-mannered daughter of a noble family. Although she is not used to expressing her thoughts directly and is sometimes a little hard to guess, she should be easy to get along with."

Upon hearing this, Saeko Busujima said with great enthusiasm, "No matter what kind of person the lady is, I will serve her impeccably so that she will accept me to stay by her side."

Liu Yun didn't know how to comment on this.

Having enthusiasm is always a good thing, even though it's a bit strange to use it in this way.

……

More than an hour later, it was completely dark, but Liu Yun, working at full speed, barely made it.

Before entering his home, he took out his small bronze mirror, which he always carried with him, and looked at himself twice.

Hmm... After taking the pill that Kinoshita Tokichiro provided, which was supposedly from Takenaka Shigeharu, the duration of the "Illusionary Face Pill" did indeed show a clear trend of running out faster. In less than a day, it has already started to return to normal.

However, overall it is still quite different from the original appearance.

This is a bit embarrassing.

But since we're already back, we can't just pass by our homes without going in, can we?

Liu Yun continued walking with his head held high towards the "Sasaki Mansion".

It was just getting dark, and there were hardly any people on the road or in the fields. After walking for a while, they finally encountered a farmer returning home late. The man probably didn't have very good eyesight, and when he vaguely saw him, he hurriedly knelt down and shouted, "Master Liuyun is back!"

Only after he called out like that did people gradually hear him.

After a while, the "Sasaki Mansion" opened its doors, and three people came out.

On the left, tall and fierce-looking, on the right, capable and composed, were Aotabo and Kurotabo. Each carrying a lantern, they escorted their mistress, Lady Iori, out the door.

When Iori heard that Ryuun had returned, she was overjoyed and her steps were much lighter than usual.

But upon approaching and seeing his face under the light, he paused for a moment, then adopted a dignified and graceful posture, bowing slightly and saying, "May I ask who you are? Why are you visiting Sasaki Mansion so late at night? The people in the territory mistook you for Lord Yasuhiro, the lord of this place. I am truly sorry."

Liu Yun didn't seem to mind, shaking his head and laughing, "I really am Liu Yun! I'll explain the appearance issue later. In short, it's just a temporary change for some reason, and I'll be back to normal soon."

Upon hearing this, Iori looked surprised, sized him up, hesitated for a moment, and then shook her head, saying hesitantly, "I'm sorry... Your voice and tone do sound very much like Lord Ryuun, but..."

The two men, Aotabo and Kurotabo, exchanged a glance, both showing wariness.

At this moment, the two retainers, Eguchi Sukezaemon and Hayami Seibei, arrived and had a similar reaction.

Everyone found these words absurd and unbelievable.

At this point, it was thanks to Kinoshita Tokichiro's thoughtfulness that sending someone to escort them was a reasonable decision.

Maeno Nagayasu stepped in and explained the situation, which finally made the Sasaki family understand the truth.

In addition, Liu Yun, although her appearance and figure had changed, her words and actions remained the same, which finally dispelled any doubts.

With this little incident, no one had the time to pay attention to the question of "why doing a quest would bring back a young and beautiful girl".

Liu Yun was able to return home safely.

……

Maeno Nagayasu and his two attendants were of great help with their explanation, and since it was already dark and inconvenient to travel, they arranged for them to rest and stay overnight in the guest rooms. Although "Sasaki House" was just a small earthen enclosure, there was still some space available.

After the matter was explained clearly, everyone else calmed down.

As retainers, Aotabo and Kurotabo, Eguchi Sukezaemon and Hayami Seibei did not concern themselves too much with this.

After a while, Uncle Xinghe and Junior Brother Suifeng also arrived. They only knew Liuyun, so they didn't think much of it.

The only problem lies with Iori.

When the person next to you in bed suddenly changes, how can you accept it so easily?

Therefore, after returning to the house, Iori was somewhat uneasy and subconsciously kept a few steps away from Ryuun, not daring to get close to him easily.

It wasn't until Saeko Busujima bowed to her seriously and meticulously, saying, "Greetings, Madam. I am a poor woman with nowhere to go. I am grateful to my master for taking me as a concubine. I hope you will take good care of me in the future."

Iori finally realized what was happening and managed a weak smile as she greeted him.

She didn't feel jealous for the time being, probably because it was the first time Liu Yun had brought a girl back.

For the time being, the two women were still quite peaceful.

The "battleground" situation that Liu Yun had imagined did not occur, which made Liu Yun feel very relieved, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of regret that was hard to put into words.

Seeing the change in Ryuun's appearance, Iori, as the mistress of the house, had no intention of putting on airs as the principal wife. She even forgot to instruct the servants to arrange suitable accommodations for the new "family member".

However, Saeko Busujima quickly got to know her surroundings and showed no signs of stage fright. On the contrary, she consciously found her place and diligently got to work.

A maid brought over a clean bathrobe, which she readily accepted and efficiently helped Liuyun change.

A thin maid carried a large wooden basin of hot water, walking unsteadily. Saeko Busujima saw this and quickly stepped forward to take her place. She then brought the basin to Ryuun and served him a foot bath to relieve his fatigue.

Liu Yun had been away on missions for more than ten days and was indeed a little tired, both physically and mentally. An Ran enjoyed the girl's fingertips massaging the soles of her feet. Although her technique was clumsy and awkward, it was very thoughtful, and she felt quite at ease. She sat in the chair, closed her eyes, and pretended to doze off.

This activity isn't actually a Japanese tradition. Taking a bath is more popular.

It can only be said that it was Liuyun's own interest. For this purpose, she specially purchased two types of furniture that are not commonly found locally: a chair and a foot basin.

It must be said that Saeko has a certain kind of insight; she could tell at a glance what it was for.

Seeing this scene, Iori finally snapped out of her daze and came to her senses. She hurriedly took small steps forward and said with a gentle smile, "Saeko... Miss Saeko, you have just returned from such a far place with Lord Ryuun. How can I let you continue to work so hard? Let me serve you."

At this moment, Saeko Busujima knelt on the ground, turned her head to the side, and refused in a respectful but firm tone: "Serving my master is what I should do! How can I trouble you, Madam? You are the mistress of the Sasaki family, and you have more important things to manage."

Generally speaking, Iori is a rather gentle person, at least outwardly.

However, faced with Saeko's firm refusal, Iori suddenly displayed a rare persistence. She knelt down beside her and smiled, saying, "The affairs of the Sasaki family's territory are naturally managed by Lord Ryuun and his reliable retainers. In fact, my most important task is to lead the women of my household to take good care of Lord Saeko's physical and mental well-being, so that he doesn't have to worry about unnecessary matters!"

"Is that so?" Saeko seemed oblivious to the implied meaning in Iori's words, and very frankly bowed and said, "How can I better serve my master? As a newcomer, I am not very confident, so please do your best to teach me, madam."

“Huh…” Iori was stunned, taken aback by this unexpected reply, and didn’t know how to respond.

At this moment, Liu Yun, who was half asleep and too lazy to speak, had a strange thought—is this considered a battleground?

[Tip]: If you like this article, please recommend it to more friends! Sharing is a pleasure.

Chapter Ninety-Six: The Question of Heart or Kidney

The two women suddenly became inexplicably obsessed with certain issues, and even gradually began to be at odds with each other.

Iori unusually adopted the role of the principal wife, using dignified yet gentle words that conveyed a superior-to-inferior attitude to subtly clarify her position.

Saeko, perhaps due to her overly straightforward nature and lack of experience living in a wealthy family, seemed completely oblivious to the unspoken meaning, displaying a respectful yet never blindly obedient attitude.

Feeling utterly exhausted upon returning from the mission, Liu Yun had been resting with her eyes closed, half-asleep and half-awake, and had no interest in paying attention to the trivial matters around her.

However, since Iori and Saeko consistently expressed their annoyance with gentle and humble tones while refusing to yield to each other, he could no longer stand idly by.

However... although I wanted to intervene, it wasn't convenient to directly enter into the conversation between the women.

That would only make the problem more complicated.

Liu Yun pondered for a moment, then opened his eyes, stood up and instructed, "Yi Zhi... I'm a little hungry, could you please go and get me some food? And also heat up a few ounces of clear wine."

Upon hearing this, Iori was taken aback at first, her smile gradually fading. She then nodded and softly replied, "Yes." Afterward, she slowly turned around and took small steps towards the outer corridor. Even from behind, one could sense a strong sense of resentment.

Saeko's lips unconsciously curved slightly, then she lowered her head to hide her expression, focusing her attention on the wooden tub and attentively continuing to care for Ryuun's feet.

But Ryuun immediately said, "Saeko, go tidy up your room first and then come over. Let me have some peace and quiet. I suddenly remembered that I have something important to think about."

Upon hearing this, Iori unconsciously let out a soft sigh of relief, her resentment lessened considerably, and her steps became lighter. She smiled and turned back, saying, "There should still be some tempura in the kitchen! I'll bring it to you right away."

Saeko showed no unusual expression, and bowed gracefully, saying, "Yes, sir. I will serve you again later." Then she stood up neatly and nimbly, stood straight and meticulous, and walked backward out the door, her wooden clogs making a rhythmic sound.

Then Liu Yun got up and sat cross-legged, and began to seriously think about important matters.

That is, how to build a harmonious harem, the ultimate cosmic mystery that has troubled countless time-traveling predecessors.

Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out why... no, I couldn't understand it at all.

I remember in my past life, when I was bored, I discussed this serious question with a group of broad-minded and fun-loving netizens on the "Dragon's Sky" forum. However, the answer that received the most likes was an extremely irreverent one: "Don't take it to heart, just go for the sex!"

This looks completely unreliable...

But I can't think of any other answer besides this unreliable one.