Swallow Return

He then sat back down, picked up his bowl, and ate.

The old man who owned the shop, upon hearing this, kindly advised, "Madam, are you going to work in the castle town of Yokoyama? Be careful, I heard that two or three widows have recently gone missing there."

The woman shook her head dismissively, saying, "I asked around the area, and only that one place still has shops hiring laundry workers for 33 coins a day. Other places only offer 28 at most. I was afraid that if I went too late, they would already be full, so I set off in the rain. As for the two missing widows... what's the big deal in this world? Maybe they eloped with their lovers!"

The old man was silent for a moment, then advised, "You just mentioned that you have three children at home! What will happen to them if something happens to you?"

The woman said with a bitter smile, "If I stay at home and don't go out to work, they will have no future, and they will starve to death this year!"

At this moment, the bald, burly man ate some small fish and tofu, then shoveled down two mouthfuls of fragrant white rice, chewing as he complained, "You old codger, you're such a coward. It's one thing to be cowardly yourself, but you also have to stop others from making money? In my humble opinion, this female benefactor is more like a man than you."

The old man quietly pursed his lips, too lazy to say anything more, and lowered his head to continue tending the fire.

The woman frowned as she looked out the window at the relentless rain, muttering anxiously, "Thirty-three coins a day, there will definitely be a lot of people scrambling to do it. I have to get there before tonight no matter what."

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Chapter 105 Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole (Part 2)

Spring rains come quickly and go quickly.

It was still drizzling at noon, but by 1 p.m. the sun was shining brightly again.

The mud on the ground won't disappear anytime soon. But the working people, struggling to survive, have already embarked on their journey.

The woman, still charming, silently wrapped her headscarf around her neck, pushed open the wooden gate, and hurried westward, not wanting to waste a moment.

The bald, burly man, who was known for his generosity, left one after the other, leaving behind two natto beans on his plate and a sip of sake in a small jar, which he didn't bother to eat. As he walked, he muttered to himself, "I won too much in Mino last month. If I go back, the casinos will probably look down on me. Hehe, I'll try my luck in Omi first."

The simple, cramped lodging returned to peace.

Business is slow in the afternoon. It's not until late afternoon, when it's almost dark, that travelers whose journeys have been delayed will stay to eat and stay overnight.

The old man tending the shop was unhurried. He slowly got up, cleaned up the empty bowls and chopsticks, smoothed out the messy hay, and then leisurely returned to the fire. He stretched out his legs, sat down, and carefully put the leftover natto from the customer into his mouth. He paired it with the nearly empty junk wine in the small jar, squinted his eyes, and chewed carefully, humming a tuneless folk song softly. A look of happiness and satisfaction appeared on his face.

You can faintly hear lyrics that seem to be about "inviting someone to take office," "beheading three ranks," "being promoted to a senior member of the family," and "marrying a princess."

The old man was just a farmer who was gradually losing his ability to wield a hoe and came to mind the shop to contribute his remaining energy.

But perhaps in this unknown ballad, he could imagine himself as a peerless swordsman with unparalleled martial arts skills, capable of slaying demons and monsters and looking down on all heroes, enjoying the grand treatment from his superiors. Every time he did something, he would be promoted to a high rank and rewarded with a hundred taels of gold. When he returned home, on his left was his well-educated and virtuous wife from a prominent family, and on his right was his loyal and gentle concubine from a humble family.

Who knows?

……

On the muddy path, the woman was walking ahead, her legs kicking as fast as she could, while the bald, burly man strolled leisurely behind her.

However, the distance between the two remained unchanged.

This is mainly because the woman is short, while the bald, strong man is much taller than average. What the former can cover in two steps, the latter can probably cover in one.

It's hanging there, neither too close nor too far; you can tell it's up to no good.

The woman's face showed no fear, but she seemed somewhat agitated. As she passed through the desolate wilderness between villages, she kept walking without stopping, glancing back twice in anger. However, she accidentally stepped onto the slippery mud and nearly slipped and fell.

The bald, burly man didn't commit any obvious evil deeds; he simply followed behind, waving his hands and shaking his head. Seeing this, he grinned and called out, "Female benefactor, don't be afraid, don't worry! Oda clan patrols are frequently seen around here, five men in a group, making several rounds a day. There are no thieves around. As for this humble monk, there's even less to worry about. This humble monk isn't really interested in older women. Once a woman is over seventeen or eighteen… no, after fifteen, she's not so good anymore. Judging from your age, female benefactor, you're probably at least twenty-five, right?"

The woman stepped on the stones and weeds by the roadside, wiping the mud off the soles of her shoes. Ignoring the teasing voices behind her, she continued walking with her head down.

The bald, burly man didn't take it seriously and continued to make conversation, saying, "I know Hengshan City well. The lady mentioned in the shop earlier that they're hiring laundry workers for 33 coins a day. Which business is it? Tell me so I can help you check if it's reliable."

The woman rolled her eyes, didn't respond, and continued walking.

Suddenly, a group of fully armed men appeared at the fork in the road ahead.

The leader was probably a samurai carrying a long sword, and the four behind him seemed to be foot soldiers carrying long spears. Judging from the banner patterns, they belonged to the Oda clan.

This is the "patrol team" I just mentioned.

The woman quickly stepped aside, intending to run into the bushes nearby to avoid the situation.

But perhaps she had sprained her ankle when she slipped, or maybe she had been hit by some hidden weapon; in any case, she had lost her strength while walking too fast and stumbled. She instinctively reached out and grabbed some roadside weeds, but unexpectedly broke the roots, splashing mud and water onto the oncoming samurai.

The samurai with the sword flew into a rage, pointing at the woman and shouting, "This person is suspicious, seize her!"

The four foot soldiers replied in unison, "Yes!" and were about to step forward to arrest the person.

The woman was immediately terrified and frantically shook her head and waved her hands, but she was so nervous that she trembled and could not speak.

At this moment, the bald, burly man stepped forward with a loud laugh and said, "Isn't this Lord Imamura of the Oda clan? Are you on patrol today? That must be hard work!"

The samurai with the long sword looked him up and down, then exclaimed in realization, "So it's Zen Master Shanxiang."

Then, looking troubled, he said, "Well, speaking of which, I was unlucky last time and still owe the Zen master two hundred coins. Today, I happen to have no money with me, so this is a problem..."

The bald, burly man immediately shook his head repeatedly: "You must be mistaken. It was clearly just bad luck that this humble monk owed Lord Imamura two hundred coins."

After saying that, he rummaged in his pocket for a while and took out a small silver coin, which he respectfully handed over.

The samurai addressed as "Lord Imamura" looked puzzled and asked, "Did I remember wrong?"

The bald, burly man nodded repeatedly with absolute certainty: "Of course it is!"

"I see." The samurai then gladly accepted the silver coin. He then frowned and said, "Master, this silver coin is probably worth two hundred and forty or fifty coins. I didn't bring any change today..."

The bald, burly man immediately adopted a displeased posture: "Why bother with change when we're just making friends? It's too formal for you to say that, Lord Imamura!"

The samurai looked apologetic: "Yes, yes, I'm so familiar with the Zen master, it would be too much of a formality to give you change."

The bald, burly man nodded with a smile, then casually pointed, "This female benefactor happens to be a friend of this humble monk. As for what happened just now..."

The samurai suddenly realized what had happened, then immediately shook his head: "It was a misunderstanding! It was just a little mud that got on me. I'll wash it off when I get back. It's nothing, it's nothing!"

The bald, burly man smiled without saying a word.

Then the samurai waved his hand and led his four foot soldiers to continue their patrol.

They walked away in a moment, and I could vaguely hear things like, "The brothers can have some good wine today."

The woman finally breathed a sigh of relief, knelt down in the grass, and solemnly bowed in gratitude: "We were truly fortunate to have had the master with us just now!"

Now that they have received a debt of gratitude, their attitude has changed completely.

The bald, burly man waved his hand: "This humble monk is a compassionate person, nothing to boast about!"

The woman sighed deeply and said, "Master, you just waived two hundred coins of the debt and bribed me with silver coins worth two hundred and fifty coins. Doesn't that...doesn't that cause you to lose four or five hundred coins? Please give me an address, Master, so I can work harder and pay you back as soon as possible."

The bald, burly man grinned and said, "Actually, you can pay with your body! This humble monk used to only like young girls, but after seeing you, female benefactor, I think it's not impossible."

The woman's expression changed immediately. She stood up and took two steps back, resolutely saying, "Although the master has been kind to us, this is not a joke."

The bald, burly man slowly approached and chuckled, “No need to worry. The temple where I’m staying has no taboos. Even the abbot is married and has children. Didn’t you just say in the shop that you have twenty strings of cash and will be sleeping at someone else’s house tonight? I can easily afford twenty strings of cash. As for your three children, arranging their future won’t be difficult.”

The woman stepped back repeatedly, saying firmly, "No! No! I was just joking, I didn't mean it!"

Upon hearing this, the bald, burly man looked regretful, but still asked, unwilling to give up, "You really don't want to?"

The woman shook her head decisively and said, "Master, please forgive me! I only thought about raising my children and didn't intend to find anyone else."

The bald, burly man nodded and sighed. When he looked up again, his expression had changed drastically. His face was filled with an evil, lewd grin. He said in a vicious voice, "Since the soft approach doesn't work, this humble monk will have to resort to the hard one!"

After saying that, he rolled up his sleeves, bent down and picked up a stone about the size of a bowl from the roadside. He took a breath, let out a low growl, squeezed the stone tightly, and broke it in two. His threat was obvious: "Female benefactor, you still dare to say no? Is your head as hard as this stone?"

The woman screamed and turned to run away.

The bald, burly man remained calm and composed, taking a leisurely step to catch up and grabbing the woman's arm.

The woman struggled desperately, but the difference in strength was too great, and it was all in vain. Her blows were like tickling the other man. Tears streamed down her face instantly as she cried out, "You wicked monk, even if you succeed by force, I will curse you for the rest of my life!"

Seeing this, the bald, burly man suddenly put away his lewd and lascivious expression and nodded seriously, saying, "Indeed, she is a rare widow who does not wish to remarry. Don't worry, that was just a test. This humble monk only asks the female benefactor to help for a few days, and will send her back afterward, and will also give her a dowry."

The woman was completely bewildered, as if she were listening to a foreign language.

Without saying a word, the bald, burly man reached out and covered the woman's mouth, making a move to forcibly abduct her.

Suddenly, from nowhere, a pale white light flashed.

The bald, burly man's expression changed drastically, but before he could make any move, he was stabbed in both shoulders.

He was in pain in both arms and unable to exert any strength, so the woman took the opportunity to escape.

Then the blade tip stopped at the bald, muscular man's throat.

All that could be seen was a tall and agile warrior, standing tall and elegant, holding a katana in one hand against the neck of the bald, burly man, his face calm and composed, relaxed and carefree.

What's even more infuriating is that there was also a graceful and beautiful girl in red next to her, who was looking at her with affectionate eyes and admiration, completely like a little fangirl.

Chapter 106 One punch is enough

Needless to say.

The woman who used herself as bait was Nene, the wife of Kinoshita Tokichiro, the lord of Yokoyama Castle.

The samurai lurking nearby was none other than the incomparably valiant Sasaki Ryūun. He also had Saeko by his side as an accomplice.

They investigated the area for two or three days, relying on Madam Ningning's innate spiritual perception and sharp analytical mind to deduce some clues. Then they set a trap, waited for the suspect to be captured.

The bald, burly man was stabbed in both shoulders, bleeding profusely, and a sharp blade was held to his neck. He turned pale and panicked, and after a moment of stunned silence, he asked, "Who are you, benefactor? Did you deliberately ambush this humble monk? You've really gone to great lengths."

Liu Yun smiled, holding his sword, but didn't answer.

The bald, burly man glanced at him cautiously, then asked in confusion, "Could it be Sasaki Ryūun, who's become quite famous lately?"

Liu Yun was slightly surprised: "So I've become quite famous lately?"

The bald, burly man shook his head bitterly and said, "It's not just that you're famous! Takeda, Asai, Asakura, Miyoshi, Ikko-shu... many people tremble with fear just hearing your name."

Liu Yun couldn't help but tease, "But I don't see you shaking right now?"

The bald, burly man chuckled wryly, "Perhaps this humble monk is a bit bolder."

Liu Yun nodded in agreement: "With a knife to your throat, you can still chat calmly. You monk are indeed extraordinary. You must be the culprit who kidnapped the widow!"

The bald, burly man snorted, turned his head to the side, and said angrily, "Sasaki Ryuun is so famous, yet he actually ambushed this humble monk. It's truly infuriating! So even if I'm beheaded, this humble monk will never reveal a single word."

Liu Yun didn't seem to care, and instead laughed, "Of course, you can't say anything after your head is chopped off. But I might chop off a finger first, slice off an ear, then dip it in salt water, drip some honey, and put some ants in it..."

While saying this, she subtly used "bewitching power," greatly enhancing its persuasiveness.

The bald, burly man trembled upon hearing this, but his mouth remained defiant, and he continued through gritted teeth, "Even if there is torture, this humble monk will not submit and will not utter a word! What kind of skill is it to ambush and launch a sneak attack?"

This guy has a very strong will. The bewitching power of Red Hook was like a stone sinking into the sea when used on him, only causing a ripple.

At this moment, Saeko, who was standing next to him, looked disdainful and said contemptuously, "You monk, even if you were to fight in the dojo, you wouldn't be a match for the master."

The bald, burly man was immediately excited. He raised his head and shouted, "Sir, please put away your sword and fight me fair and square. If I am still defeated, I will obey your orders and tell you everything I know."

Liu Yun couldn't help but scoff: "What wishful thinking."