Chapter 681: Gift of Land

Shanming Chifeng hosted a grand banquet for all the martial heroes and soldiers who had earned merit in this struggle; Pan Yun sat to his lower left, and below her was Takenaga Kuninori.

Meeting Pan Yun's gaze, Takenaga Kuninori nodded and smiled warmly, but when he lowered his eyes again, his smile had faded by half.

He still harbored resentment over Pan Yun's refusal to seize the Shangou Pavilion, which had halved his battle merits.

In contrast, the Odaigaki family head was very kind to Pan Yun; fearing she might be bored sitting alone, he asked: "Would you like me to call a few friends to join your table?"

Pan Yun called Xue Shao.

Important matters were to be discussed soon; such diplomatic affairs must be left to professionals. As an imperial court official, how could Xue Shao not know how to handle them?

Upon seeing Pan Yun call Xue Shao, the martial heroes jolted upright, their eyes brightening with excitement as they looked upward.

After spending so much time together, they had figured it out.

Every time Pan Yun called Xue Shao, something was about to happen.

The martial heroes stared at Xue Shao—was he really just a Provincial Graduate? Chen Liutao and Qu Zhixing had grown increasingly respectful toward him lately; it didn't seem like mere admiration for his talent…

Before the thought could fully form, Xue Shao had already taken his seat below Pan Yun; Shanming Chifeng raised his cup and said in Chinese: "Come, let us toast to the victory of the Shanming clan—"

The martial heroes snapped back to attention, sneering inwardly, yet still raised their cups, glancing at Miaohe and Tao Yanbai before drinking.

Both men sniffed the wine, found no flaw, and took a small sip.

Only after seeing them drink did everyone else begin.

After three rounds of wine, Pan Yun and Xue Shao showed no ill effects, but Shanming Chifeng was half-drunk; he clutched his cup and said to Pan Yun: "Young Lady Pan, your side has achieved its goals in this cooperation—what are your plans next?"

Pan Yun: "What suggestions does Lord Shanming have?"

Shanming Chifeng laughed: "Though our interests differ, you helped my Shanming clan reclaim our territory. If you have any needs, speak freely—I will assist you if I can."

He hinted: "Young Lady Pan likes silver—I can give you silver and open the nearest port to let you depart."

Pan Yun: "Dainai Jiaohong is still alive; our vengeance is incomplete. And for the safety of Great Ming's people, we must monitor pirate activity—so we plan to settle permanently in Japan."

Xue Shao: "Far from home, one naturally misses family; life here is far less prosperous than in Great Ming. To retain people, we need profit. Dainai has been severely weakened, leaving a gap in maritime trade—we intend to fill that gap, making it easier for those staying here to communicate with their families and earn enough to support them."

Shanming Chifeng's eyes flickered; he had once considered cooperating with Pan Yun, but he had recently received confirmed news.

The treasure map of the Kikuchi clan was indeed in Dainai's hands; now that Dainai has been crippled, he could seize the map without Pan Yun's help—hence his desire to get rid of her.

But maritime trade…

Maritime trade with Great Ming naturally works best with Han Chinese. After all, Great Ming bans sea trade; the official shipments are always minimal. Without smuggling, you can't seize anything on the sea.

At least half of Dainai's maritime trade relied on smuggling; they had their partners. He could defeat Dainai in Japan, but taking over their connections in Great Ming would be difficult—what if he built his own channel?

Shanming Chifeng studied Pan Yun and Xue Shao back and forth; his drunkenness lifted by half.

He felt he could still do it—thankfully he had listened to the family head and held back.

Shanming Chifeng grinned like a blooming flower and boomed: "Staying in Japan is excellent! Japan has many delicious foods and fun places—Young Lady Pan can try them all, enjoy them all. Where would you like to live?"

Pan Yun: "I mentioned Onsenzumi Town to you before; I and Yida XinTai investigated it. Not far from there is a place called Omori Village—its scenery is beautiful, with rolling mountains. Since I cultivated on mountains since childhood, I love mountains. The place I most want to settle is Omori Village."

Yida XinTai's eyes brightened slightly.

Shanming Chifeng blinked: "Omori Village?"

He glanced at Yida XinTai and frowned: "The scenery there is fine, but its harbor is tiny—only small boats can enter and exit; it's unsuitable for merchant ships…"

Pan Yun smiled indifferently: "If the harbor is small, build a bigger one. As long as the estuary is wide enough for merchant ships to pass, these are no problems."

Yida XinTai strongly agreed but dared not nod.

Shanming Chifeng said: "But building a port takes time—it's better to just seize Dainai's harbor and ships…"

Pan Yun smiled but said nothing.

Xue Shao retorted: "Lord Shanming is so confident—why not try seizing one yourself? If you succeed, we'll gladly pay a heavy sum to rent half the harbor."

Shanming Chifeng choked. If he could seize one, wouldn't he have acted already?

Yida XinTai grew anxious, his eyes darting as he hurriedly said: "From Onsenzumi Town, goods can be delivered directly to Sugi Castle—all the way through Shanming territory, far safer. Dainai's ports lie entirely to the southwest; goods landing there must pass through Dainai-controlled lands to reach Sugi Castle—there will surely be bandits along the way."

If Dainai disguised their warriors as bandits, could they protect their goods?

Costs would skyrocket—this trade wouldn't last more than a few trips.

Shanming Chifeng fell silent.

Odaigaki, who had remained quiet until now, suddenly smiled and asked: "Young Lady Pan really likes Onsenzumi Town?"

Pan Yun smiled: "I mainly like Omori Village—I heard it resembles my hometown."

"Where does Young Lady Pan come from?"

"Mount Sanqing," Pan Yun smiled. "Beautiful scenery, layered mountains, abundant spiritual energy."

"It seems Young Lady Pan truly loves Omori Village. Why not let the clan head gift her a plot of land there? As for Onsenzumi's harbor, we can discuss and build it gradually—no rush."

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow and remained silent.

Shanming Chifeng immediately agreed, giving Odaigaki an appreciative glance.

Land was cheap, but building a port required enormous manpower, materials, and funds—Shanming Chifeng didn't want to spend that money.

Yida XinTai watched Pan Yun anxiously; he saw her frown in thought for a long while, then slowly nod: "Very well. Let's postpone this matter—we'll first visit Omori Village and Onsenzumi Town."

Yida XinTai was deeply disappointed—he had been so close to seeing his hometown become a major port.

Pan Yun seemed to lose interest and no longer mentioned Omori Village.

But the next day, she ordered her belongings packed and went to bid farewell to Shanming Chifeng.

Shanming Chifeng was astonished: "You're leaving?"

Pan Yun: "We've been away from home for some time—we'll first visit Onsenzumi Town. If it suits us, we'll depart by sea from there."

She paused, then added: "Besides, Lord Shanming gifted us land in Omori Village—let's stop by to see it and familiarize ourselves with the route."

She mentioned Omori Village last, clearly unenthusiastic.

Shanming Chifeng pretended not to notice and smiled: "Young Lady Pan may go freely—tell me which land you like, and I'll have it marked for you."

Pan Yun nodded and turned to leave, when Shanming Chifeng called out: "That area is Yida XinTai's hometown—I'll have him accompany you. If you need errands run, just command him."

Pan Yun accepted gladly.

Masuda Nobuta also pulled himself together again.

As long as Pan Yun was still willing to go, the matter of building a port in Onsen-tsu Town could become real; for Pan Yun's ability, he had an inexplicable confidence in her.

(End of this chapter)