Chapter 644: We Are Not the Same

Chan Master Master Bao Hai glanced at Master Xuanmiao and Tao Ji, smiled faintly, nodded, and said, "Very well."

He rose and left, giving them space and time to catch up.

The samurai walked on, looking back every few steps. Seeing Chan Master Master Bao Hai already seven or eight paces away, he hurried to catch up, lowered his head and bowed, and raised his objection: "Chan Master, what if Pan Yun takes the Divine Physician Tao away while she has the chance?"

Chan Master Master Bao Hai laughed and said, "Whether it is Master Xuanmiao, Divine Physician Tao, or the newly arrived Daoist Priest Pan Xiao, I see them all as open-hearted and upright people. Even if they wished to leave, they would say goodbye in person. Please convey to Mao Li that since we have decided to use Divine Physician Tao, we must grant him our trust. The several guests from the Celestial Kingdom are all sincere folk."

Now that there was time, Pan Yun could take her time discussing their next plans with them.

She had not brought many people, but the senior hero and his junior sister represented the heroes who had followed along; Xue Shao and two plainclothes Embroidered Uniform Guards represented the imperial court; Zhang Weiyi and Xue Hua represented the Academy; Wang Cong sat together with Pan Yun, while Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He held Tao Yanbai's hand and silently stood behind the two of them, learning along and joining the liveliness.

As for Hu Jing, once inside the room he found a quiet corner and sat down. He did not want to draw attention, but the moment he sat down—before he could even lift his teacup for a sip—Master Xuanmiao's gaze landed on him.

He stiffened all over and looked up at her; the moment their eyes met and parted, both understood at once.

Hu Jing's mind exploded: How on earth did she recognize him?

Master Xuanmiao withdrew her gaze, then swept a glance over the others, and at once grasped the composition of this group.

She did not want to mingle with them.

Master Xuanmiao said, "We have agreed to treat Mao Li's illness. You all stay here for two days. Let Cong'er and Miao He and Yanbai treat him together with Tao Ji, and I will gather some information for you and arrange your onward journey."

Pan Yun's spirits lifted: "Senior Sister, can you see us through to Iwami Province without a hitch?"

Master Xuanmiao: "Iwami Province is within the sphere of influence of the Yamana and Ouchi clans. Right now the position of Shogun in Japan is vacant; those above are fighting for power, and those below are no better off. Although the Yamana are the nominal De Da Ming of Iwami Province, they are already showing signs of decline. In recent years local magnates in Iwami Province have carved up the land among themselves, and the Ouchi are the strongest among them—they are the actual De Da Ming of Iwami Province."

Pan Yun's eyes flickered slightly: "But nominally it is still the Yamana?"

Yi Jianren had never mentioned this point—did he deliberately leave it out, or did he not know either, having always assumed the Ouchi were the De Da Ming?

Master Xuanmiao said calmly, "Last time I captured a legitimate young master of the Kikuchi family, and in conversation with him I happened to learn this: in the third year of Zhengtong, the tally-trade license for Japan fell to Iwami Province. By rights the De Da Ming of Iwami Province, the Yamana, should have sent someone to our Great Ming, but in the end the Ouchi intercepted and killed the Yamana's envoy, then took the tally-trade license and went to Great Ming themselves."

Pan Yun's mouth fell open: "The Shogunate doesn't intervene?"

Master Xuanmiao: "They can't."

Those present gained a direct understanding of Japan's political chaos; they exchanged uneasy glances.

Isn't this just like—the Emperor ordering the Vice Prefect of Datong to negotiate trade with the Oirat on behalf of the imperial court, only for a great landowner in Datong to refuse to recognize that Prefect, kill the envoy the Prefect sent, then take the credentials and go negotiate and trade with the enemy himself, stroll around and come back with nothing done about it…

Pan Yun smacked her lips and said softly, "If this were in Great Ming, wouldn't all nine clans be exterminated?"

Chen Liutao's face turned iron-blue: "Barbarians are barbarians!"

Master Xuanmiao glanced at him and said coolly, "Japan's internal strife is severe—that is both good and bad. The good is that we can move through Japan as if entering an empty land; as long as we have money, we can go anywhere."

Xue Shao asked, "And the bad?"

"The Japanese pirates along Great Ming's coast are growing worse, and one reason is Japan's internal strife—the common people are destitute, and samurai have no one to rely on and become ronin," Master Xuanmiao had not come to Japan solely to fight; she also wanted to eradicate the pirate problem once and for all: "These ronin become bandits in Japan, first plundering their own country's people, then taking to the sea to plunder Joseon and our Great Ming."

"Among them are some great clans, such as the Kikuchi, the Ouchi, and other powerful houses. They have set their eyes on the profits brought by sea bandits, so they entered the fray—either funding or absorbing the Japanese pirates—specifically to raid the coasts of Great Ming, Ryukyu, Joseon, and other places." Master Xuanmiao said, "As I know it, the Shogunate also wishes to clear out the pirate scourge. First, the pirates not only disrupt their normal maritime trade but also plunder and oppress Japan's coastal people. Second, the various clans in Kyushu and western Honshu nurture bandits to bolster their own weight, using smuggling and illicit maritime trade to accumulate strength, and refuse to obey Kyoto's commands."

Pan Yun and Xue Shao understood at once and asked in unison, "You wish to cooperate with Kyoto?"

Master Xuanmiao said irritably, "The Japanese pirates are like weeds—you cannot kill them all. This time you have destroyed their nest, but how long will that hold? Whether it is the Wu Lin Alliance or the Celestial Master Residence, a generation is twenty years. Twenty years from now, all of us will be old. Who knows whether the next generation will still hunt bandits, or whether the imperial court will still permit us to come and go freely from Haigang just to fight pirates.

But the coastal people have lived there for generations. Twenty years is only enough for a child to grow up, for a young man to become middle-aged—must they watch the Japanese pirates return and endure another village massacre twenty years from now?"

Pan Yun clenched her fist at once, her emotions surging.

Master Xuanmiao said, "We must settle this at the root. Cooperating with Kyoto in Japan is not out of the question."

She turned her head to look outside the door; from here she could see the curling incense smoke rising in the temple, and all she smelled was the scent of incense.

She said softly, "To guide matters according to circumstance benefits both Great Ming and the people of Japan—why not do it?"

As for the Japanese nobles who would die because of this, and even the coastal local magnates of Great Ming who might be caught up in it, those were not within her considerations.

If they want to establish themselves and pass down their families through smuggling, they can dream on!

Pan Yun turned and asked Wang Cong to take everyone out to burn incense: "We're here already, so whether it's whose Buddha, let's pay our respects."

Wang Cong obediently rose.

The others were still immersed in Master Xuanmiao's words and did not react at once. Only when Wang Cong invited them to rise did they realize that the senior and junior sisters must have something private to discuss.

The few exchanged glances and rose one after another to leave.

By the time they had walked a good distance, they finally came back to themselves from Master Xuanmiao's words. Song Xuan's eyes shone bright, her face full of longing: "Master Xuanmiao truly lives up to her reputation; my heart yearns toward her."

Gao Zhiming also nodded slightly. He had just turned his head to speak when Qu Le, who had already done a full circuit of Ichibata Temple, came running over with a group of people: "Are you done talking? Have you reached a decision?"

Gao Zhiming: "Not yet. Some things weren't meant for our ears. Master Xuanmiao is very clever, and Daoist Priest Pan is formidable too—we just need to listen."

Qu Le scanned the group and asked, "Then where is Xue Shao?"

Only then did everyone notice Xue Shao had not followed; he had been kept inside the room.

Everyone:!!!! (End of chapter)