Chapter 544: Deliverance

The twenty-sixth year of Jiajing, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

Japan, Settsu Province, Nishinari District.

It was midsummer, and the temperature was gradually rising. As the granary of the Kinai region, Nishinari District had reached the tillering stage, and the tender green rice seedlings filled the paddy fields on both sides of the road, spreading out along the line of sight until they met the bright sunlight.

Miyoshi Ryota raised his hand to wipe his sweat and looked up at the sky.

"So stuffy."

He thought.

It was already the early season of the rainy season, and the air was full of moisture. Although the temperature was cool, once the afternoon sun shone, it made people feel sticky and heavy all over.

His *haori* was already full of sweat. Miyoshi Ryota lifted the hem and fanned it a few times, but didn't feel much cooler. He wiped his hands on the hem, touched the hilt of the sword at his waist, and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming it wasn't slippery.

He had to ensure he could draw his sword at any time.

Because he had entered the core area of the war-torn Japan, only one step away from Kyoto. The Emperor had lost control of the territory, and this land was filled with demons who used living people to test their swords, discarded disciples of sword schools, warrior monks who were not averse to wine and women, and deserters who committed all kinds of evil.

And carrying a sword made him more likely to become a target for these people.

Especially be wary of any unusual passerby; perhaps any passerby who brushed past him might suddenly slash at him... at least that's what his master told him before he left.

For example, the ox cart in front.

Miyoshi Ryota squinted at the front.

He had been traveling with the ox cart in front for a while, but he had always kept a distance, and the other party had no intention of communicating with him either.

The three people on the cart were unusual.

One man and two women.

The older woman was driving the cart in front, occasionally turning her head to laugh and talk with the man. The younger woman was kneeling beside the man, kneading his shoulders and pounding his legs like a maid.

From top to bottom, from inside to outside, nothing was right.

First was their appearance and temperament; the three of them were so good-looking that it made people jealous, and their conversation revealed a noble air, even the maid was the same. Such people should be drinking and having fun in high buildings in the city, not sitting on a broken ox cart, rushing on the road in the sun.

Secondly, their clothing.

Miyoshi Ryota wiped his sweat again.

"The clothes the two women are wearing are normal, but that man... isn't he hot?"

He could only see the man's head, but his body was firmly wrapped in a black bear skin. Even though he was sweating all over from the heat, the man looked as if he were in the middle of winter, and he could occasionally hear faint coughing sounds.

"Tuberculosis? A cold?"

Miyoshi Ryota guessed.

In front, Lu Wushuang turned her head and smiled.

"Master, that kid is looking at us again. Should I go and deal with him?"

Li Miao coughed a few times and smiled.

"Don't bother. I haven't reached the point where I have to kill every Japanese kid I see."

"We're about to enter the territory of Enryaku-ji, right?"

Lu Wushuang translated, and Nanako carefully identified the direction, calculated the distance in her heart, and replied in a low voice.

"One hundred *li* from Mount Hiei."

"But this is already considered the sphere of influence of Enryaku-ji. A little further ahead, past Akutagawa Mountain Castle, you will be able to see warrior monks coming and going."

Lu Wushuang relayed, and Li Miao nodded.

"Oh... then how far is it from Toshodai-ji?"

"About a hundred *li* too, but you have to go southeast."

Nanako replied.

"Enryaku-ji and Toshodai-ji are one hundred and twenty *li* apart. Unless you take a detour, it's not on the way."

While answering, she carefully observed Li Miao's expression.

Enryaku-ji is the center of Japanese Buddhism. As a Buddhist, she really dared not imagine what would happen if Li Miao entered Mount Hiei... Although she didn't see the Izumo Taisha incident with her own eyes, she learned a rough idea from the mouths of passersby later.

It's just that she didn't dare to say her thoughts, only dared to say "not on the way" in a roundabout way. ===== CHAPTER 545 =====