Chapter 650: Inquiry

Pan Yun sneered: "The Yamana aren't a Great Lord? They have legitimacy and the moral high ground—yet they still filed an appeal? Even their Guardian Great Lord couldn't touch the Uesugi—what could people in Kyoto possibly do?"

Pan Yun shook her head, deeply disappointed: "It only boosts the Uesugi's reputation and prestige, making themselves look weak and powerless. In power struggles, weakness isn't met with sympathy—it's met with wolves swarming to tear you apart."

If she were Yamana, she'd bury this secret as fast as she could—she'd never report it.

What's the difference between this and baring your soft belly to a pack of wolves and saying: 'Come on, tear me apart and eat me'?

Xue Shao also thought the Yamana decision-maker wasn't very smart, and asked: "Should we still cooperate with them?"

Pan Yun gritted her teeth: "Do we have any other choice?"

Indeed, we don't.

In Iwami Province, the only clan that can oppose the Uesugi right now is the Yamana. Most crucially, the silver mine region Pan Yun wants lies within the Yamana's sphere of influence—there's no way around them.

"Sigh," Pan Yun sighed. "I'd rather face a clever opponent than a useless ally."

But Xue Shao had a different thought: "Against the Uesugi, he's your ally. But if you're eyeing his mines, logically, the Yamana and the Uesugi should be allies."

With this shift, Pan Yun's mood instantly improved—and the more she thought, the more excited she became: "If I reverse-engineer this… I'm suddenly energized…"

Doesn't this mean she could not only covet the silver mine, but also covet even more?

Pan Yun's face glowed with excitement, yet she said: "This feels so awkward…"

Xue Shao: "I don't see it."

Pan Yun ignored him, waving enthusiastically to the others: "Let's go!"

Gao Zhiming couldn't help but exchange a glance with his junior sister Song Xuan, his heart tightening—this was an instinctive physical reaction. So what exactly was Pan Yun plotting?

Why did it feel like they weren't just here for revenge and killing?

The city called Shankou was the Uesugi's stronghold, nestled against a great mountain, situated entirely at its foot. The direction they came from was a vast flatland—also called a basin.

They'd crossed mountains and ridges to get here, so attacking this place would be difficult—it was truly easy to defend and hard to take.

Pan Yun shook her head. She wasn't planning to lead an army to capture Shankou—why think about this?

She shook the clutter from her mind and, using the credentials provided by the Mōri clan, entered Shankou without trouble.

Yi Jianren found them a guesthouse to stay in.

He looked worried, yet arranged their lodging just outside the Uesugi's residential cluster—step outside, look up, and you could see the Uesugi's houses climbing the mountain slope, occupying a quarter of the city.

"That's where the Uesugi clan and their kin live," Yi Jianren said respectfully. "Anyone with the surname Uesugi, along with their in-laws, lives there with their retainers, warriors, and servants."

Pan Yun: "It's like an inner city. I just saw a peddler carrying goods inside."

Yi Jianren: "... Yes. Aside from the core area, outsiders can enter too. There are guesthouses, taverns, and such inside."

Pan Yun glanced at timid Yi Jianren, didn't scold him, and simply asked: "I need to find a few people—where should I go to inquire?"

Yi Jianren clenched his sleeve, forced himself to take charge: "Your Excellency, just give the order—I'll find out."

Pan Yun nodded approvingly: "Find a man named Uesugi Hiromi. Learn his address, his appearance. Then find out who performed most prominently in the recent dispute with the Yamana over the village—get his name, address, and appearance too."

Yi Jianren bowed low in response, about to quietly withdraw—when Pan Yun called him back and handed him a yellow talisman: "Carry it with you. It'll keep you safe. I promised your father: as long as you and your father don't betray me, I'll bring you back alive."

Yi Jianren felt considerably more at ease, and accepted it with both hands respectfully.

He didn't know what the talisman did—he'd never seen one before—but he'd heard of them.

They said these were tools of the Divine Path of the Superior Nation—usable for attack, defense, and blessings, widely applied.

Pan Yun's so powerful—this must be the real thing, right?

Yi Jianren carefully tucked the talisman into his robe, then led his retainers toward the inner city.

One retainer, carrying plenty of money, still looked nervous and couldn't help asking: "My Lord, are we really going to help her find people?"

Yi Jianren smiled bitterly: "At this point, do we have any other choice?"

Retainer: "These people are ruthless—especially that Pan Yun. She kills without hesitation, not even blinking. We don't even know who she wants to kill. If it's just some ordinary person, fine—but if it's someone important to the Uesugi, the scandal will explode. The Mōri clan might get dragged into it."

Yi Jianren: "Obey her, and the Mōri clan might only risk being dragged in—across a strait, the Uesugi can't easily strike back at us on Shikoku Island."

But disobey her, and I'll be dead in the next moment. My father might be purged too. If she wants to kill us, who among you can stop her?"

The retainer fell silent.

Yi Jianren took a deep breath: "When Father agreed to let me become a hostage, he already foresaw this. Don't worry—he's prepared. We just follow orders."

This obedience, of course, meant obeying Pan Yun.

Though Yi Jianren's hands trembled and his heart raced, he still worked diligently to find Uesugi Hiromi and the man who led the village assault.

Both were easy to find—one had a name, the other was the hottest topic of the moment. He wandered through taverns and martial halls with money in hand, and by nightfall, drunk and reeking, he'd learned everything.

He reeked of alcohol, dared not approach Pan Yun like that, so he returned to his room, bathed, changed clothes, rinsed his mouth, and chewed several mint leaves before respectfully going to see her.

Pan Yun and the others had spent the day touring the city, memorizing the street layout and identifying the best escape routes. Pan Yun even sent Pan Xiaohei out alone to scout additional escape options.

As soon as Yi Jianren arrived, Pan Yun told Miao He to open the door.

Yi Jianren: "Your Excellency, the people you sought have been found."

Miao He immediately shut the door. All eyes turned sharply toward him.

Yi Jianren swallowed hard, cursing Uesugi Hiromi in his mind—what exactly had this man done to massacre a village, drawing someone all the way across the sea to kill him?

Japanese pirates have always ruled the seas; once ashore, when bloodlust took them, indiscriminate slaughter was common. The southeast coast of Great Ming and both shores of Korea had suffered massacres before—yet no one ever crossed the sea for revenge. Instead, survivors and connected villages often turned to piracy, eventually allying with the pirates themselves. (End of chapter)