I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 169 So...I'm a genius? Tempering stage, almost complete! (6k)

Ugh?
A world-renowned...great ninja?
A gust of chilly autumn wind suddenly rose, lifting the thin boy's sideburns.

Shiraishi stood frozen in place, recalling the definition of the word "ninja" that Uesugi Tetsu had once explained to him.

The term "ninja" is roughly equivalent to "samurai," and it's a topic that people can't avoid when discussing this era.

The only difference is that the former bows down in the darkness, while the latter receives admiration and applause in the light.

While a "great ninja" cannot be compared to a "daimyo," he can certainly be ranked alongside renowned figures like a "great swordsman."

During his time at the Imagawa-kan, he did indeed understand what Ki-gyojutsu was and made significant progress in it, becoming much better than he had been before.

However, Shiraishi still knew that he could hardly deal with even the most incompetent samurai.

There's no other reason than that his physical condition is still too weak.

And a great ninja... should be even more powerful than hundreds of them combined.

He stared at the exquisitely bound manual placed in front of him, which even faintly exuded the scent of ink, and for a moment he didn't know whether he should take it or not.

Because of his childhood experiences, Shiraishi has a lot more to think about, and his thoughts are more varied.

For example, right now, he was thinking about what would happen if he got his hands on this manual but failed to cultivate it to its full potential, leading to Uesugi Tetsu being extremely disappointed in him.

If he hadn't taken it, he could have maintained the identity of a "domestic pet" and been able to live off the Imagawa family as a samurai who freeloaded, thanks to his boss.

But if he takes it... Shiraishi has no idea how things will turn out.

Moreover, how could I possibly become a "great ninja"?
That's completely impossible.

Shiraishi Hikaru almost burst out laughing when he thought about what Uesugi Tetsu had just said to him.

—After all, he wouldn't even dare to think like that when he's full and having sweet dreams!
"Boss..."

For a fleeting moment, Shiraishi wanted to blurt out the words of refusal, saying that he only wanted to maintain the peaceful and joyful life he had now, where he could live in a house and have enough to eat and drink.

Anning lived happily after eating her fill, grew up, grew old, and then died.

No need to worry about starving to death today, no need to worry about waking up one day to find yourself tied up in a terrible place, and no need to worry about how to get through the next winter.

The short period of time that Shiraishi spent in the Imagawa residence was the life he had longed for since he could remember.

As for anything more, he wouldn't dare to hope for more.

"Ok?"

Uesugi Tetsu watched as Shiraishi's fingers continued to rub against the small bottle containing konpeito, and asked with a smile and curiosity, "What are you thinking about?"

Bai Shi was speechless for a moment.

He thought of the high-ranking officials who had been following Uesugi Tetsuya these past few days—Imagawa Yoshimoto, Okabe Motonobu, Matsudaira Motoyasu, Asahina Yasutomo…

And then there were those dreadful elders who had to bow down to the eldest son this morning.

At that moment, it seemed as if two tiny figures that looked exactly like him popped out from beside Shiraishi's ear.

One of them was dressed in coarse linen clothes, sitting slumped with a round belly, chewing on a ball of fine rice.

The little man patted his belly lazily and said, "Isn't it enough to be able to eat and drink my fill? What more could I ask for?"

The other was completely shrouded in black, with only a pair of indifferent eyes showing, appearing both lonely and powerful.

He said coldly, "If you are content with the status quo, you will still be unable to do anything when you encounter the same situation again."

But Bai Shi's thoughts went beyond that.

He thinks more deeply and is more realistic.

The boss is his backer and the reason he was able to obtain this "warrior" identity.

—And if I don't do something, will I be forgotten by the boss?
After all, there's a limit to how much patience you can have when it comes to keeping a pet.

Therefore, after a moment of silence, Shiraishi responded: "Boss, according to what you said, aren't ninjas supposed to be people who can't be known by others?"
So after that, no one will ever know me.

He reached out and hesitated for a moment before picking up the ninja manual in front of him, but then gave a clever answer.

Uesugi Tetsuya, understanding the unspoken meaning, couldn't help but smile. He patted the boy's head twice and said, "That's good too."

"In short, keep it up."

Uesugi Tetsu said to the boy who looked up at him blankly, "If you can master all the techniques in this manual, I might as well teach you the breathing method I've been practicing."

He said casually,
"But let's open it and take a look first—although I found an illustrated version that's easier for you to understand, this manual is still a bit difficult."

After listening to what he said silently, Shiraishi stood still and slowly turned the first page of the manual in his hand.

Then, he stared wide-eyed, somewhat bewildered.

Is it a bit difficult?

No… Shiraishi feels that this manual seems to…

It's a bit too simplistic.

In that instant, a large notification popped up in front of Uesugi Tetsuya's eyes.

[Current impact of the Worldly Journey on history: 0.5% → 1%!]

Just as Uesugi Tetsuya was about to continue tempering the skin, his body suddenly trembled, suppressing all the emotions that had not yet been revealed, and he immediately glanced at Shiraishi out of the corner of his eye.

—Bai Shi merely opened the first page of this ordinary manual, which could only be cultivated to about one and a half levels, and his influence on history actually increased to 1%!?
Uesugi Tetsu's mood was unusually fluctuating.

Shiraishi's talent in "illustration + ninja" is truly exceptional!

Just then, Shiraishi's voice, tinged with a mixture of doubt and smugness, came from behind.

"Boss, is this secret manual really that difficult?"

Uesugi Tetsu said calmly, "It's just an introductory text to the ninja path. Even if you can understand and finish it in one night, don't be arrogant."

He warned Shiraishi, whose smile was impossible to suppress.
"The path of cultivation is long and arduous. Whether it is practicing breathing techniques, Yin-Yang techniques, or ninja secret techniques similar to yours, the most important thing to avoid is complacency and arrogance."

But we must also remember not to lose our spirit of courage and diligence.

Upon discovering that the ninja manual was far simpler than he had imagined—so simple that he could understand the first page at a glance and comprehend it completely—Shiraishi suppressed a laugh and gave an awkward salute.
"Yes, boss!"

Looking at Shiraishi's smug expression, Uesugi Tetsu knew that although Shiraishi was standing there listening to him, he was still very much present.

But it's another matter if these words don't slip through one's smooth mind.

Uesugi Tetsuya wasn't in a hurry.

People can't teach others, but when it comes to teaching others later, they'll learn it in no time.

He simply said,
"Then let's spend the afternoon practicing here and see how much you can learn."

After having Shiraishi go aside to look through ninja manuals, Uesugi Tetsu also got up from the cylindrical stool next to the stone table and sat down cross-legged facing the sun.

He planned to see how much proficiency he could gain from spending an entire afternoon alone tempering skin during the Warring States period, without using any calming incense ash or taking a medicinal bath.

Uesugi Tetsuya closed his eyes, and with each breath, he directed his inner energy into his skin through continuous circulation, beginning a long and painful tempering process.

……

In the blink of an eye, the sun had already set in the west.

An afternoon passed in the blink of an eye during the physical tempering.

Covered in sweat, Uesugi Tetsu calmly opened his eyes and looked at the notification that popped up after the training ended, after restoring his internal energy to its original position.

Your skill, Corona Breathing, proficiency +2.

Uesugi Tetsu: “…”

For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Although there is a time difference between the Warring States period and the present world, it is absurd that this afternoon of hard training only resulted in a mere 2 points of proficiency.

It seems that trying to grind things up on your own without putting in any effort is too inefficient and highly undesirable.

Therefore, all the necessary supplies for training must be arranged, and you can also exchange training experiences with Okabe Motonobu; there might be some surprises.

Uesugi Tetsu turned his head and silently looked at Shiraishi, who was lying on the ground not far away, flipping through the manual. He noticed that the thickness of the manual on his side had been reduced by one-fifth.

Uesugi Tetsu raised an eyebrow.

Does that mean that Baishi only needs two or three days to finish reading the basics of this manual?

If you hurry, you might be able to learn it all in half a month and then get a basic understanding of it.

This talent...

Could it be that the "increased probability of triggering hidden events" aspect of the identity of the World Walker actually allows him to encounter all sorts of rare talents?
Not sure.

That's a good thing, though.

If Shiraishi is completely ignorant of ninja techniques and can't learn anything even after a month, then he'll have to rack his brains to find the next person with decent talent.

—Not far away, after an afternoon of reading and practice, Shiroshi, feeling that he had become significantly stronger, put away the manual and walked over.

He held up the manual in his hand, his eyes wide, and said, "Boss, this seems really suitable for me."

Compared to her previous hesitation and lack of confidence, Shiraishi is now like a completely different person.

Because the positive feedback he received during that afternoon of learning ninja techniques was so intense, so overwhelming, and so rapid!

Often, Shiraishi would turn to a page, understand the meaning of the picture within a few seconds, and then his body would unconsciously mimic the same pose.

Immediately afterwards, streams of warmth would surge from deep within his body, continuously increasing his power.

With his confidence greatly boosted, Shiraishi clenched his still somewhat heated fist and said earnestly,

"Boss, I will rely on it to become stronger, very, very strong!"

Uesugi Tetsu shrugged noncommittally.

See, this is just the beginning, and he's already getting cocky again.

But he didn't say anything more.

Shiraishi's overconfidence was quickly tempered by reality, which made him behave much better.

—After the training test this afternoon, he had to go find Imagawa Yoshimoto and talk to her about the medicinal bath.

After all, it would be difficult to find these dozens or hundreds of medicinal herbs on one's own, but if this task were entrusted to the Imagawa family, the difficulty would be almost non-existent.

In addition, we also need to show off the samurai Zanzemaru that he specially brought.

Uesugi Tetsu thought for a moment, then blinked when he saw Shiraishi still standing beside him, and took out half a box of pastries from his storage bag.
"I have something to discuss with Lord Yiyuan later. Here, take this box of pastries and enjoy them at your leisure."

Shiraishi, who was about to say something, immediately had his eyes light up when he saw the unfamiliar pastry, and chuckled as he accepted it.

"Yes, boss! As you command, boss!" Bai Shi picked up the pastries, took off in a flash, and disappeared in a flash.

Uesugi Tetsuya left his small courtyard and asked everyone he met on the way where Imagawa Yoshimoto was.

After asking several times, she was finally led by a maid with hurried steps to a small artificial lake.

"My lord, the Lord is just ahead."

After the maid finished speaking, she quietly and slowly pushed the door open.

By this time, the sun had completely sunk below the horizon, replaced by the faintly visible silver moon and stars.

Under the dim, indistinct sky, Uesugi Tetsu looked up and saw the two people sitting in the small pavilion in front of the shimmering lake.

Okabe Motonobu was eating rice balls and drinking tea, seemingly chatting happily.

Imagawa Yoshimoto simply gazed quietly at the lake, listening intently, only occasionally replying with a word.

Uesugi Tetsu deliberately made his footsteps heavy so that Okabe Motonobu could hear him the moment he took his first step.

Within two seconds, Imagawa Yoshimoto turned around and waved to him.

"Mr. Che, please have a seat."

Uesugi Tetsuya did not refuse and sat down directly on the round stone bench.

Upon seeing him arrive, the smiling Okabe Motonobu immediately and subtly moved the wooden box on the table toward her.

Uesugi Tetsu glanced at it and found that the wooden box contained seaweed rice balls about the size of his palm.

What's so special about this thing...?

"Mr. Che, would you like to try some?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto stood up slightly, took a rice ball from the wooden box, and smiled at him, saying, "I made this rice ball myself."

Uesugi Tetsu raised an eyebrow and accepted the rice ball with both hands: "Thank you, Lord Yoshimoto."

He immediately took a bite.

Ok?
Uesugi Tetsu looked down and discovered that the rice ball contained not only plain rice, but also a lot of fragrant pork floss.

"For me, the process of making rice balls little by little helps to calm my chaotic thoughts, just like the tea ceremony..."

Imagawa Yoshimoto noticed the slight surprise on his face halfway through his sentence, so he added,

"On ordinary days, only Yuanxin eats the rice balls I make, so naturally, I've also stuffed a lot of necessities into this one. You need to be full to have more energy, right?"

The essential item, of course, refers to plenty of meat floss.

For Okabe Motonobu, who has already reached the stage of "flesh-refining," a sufficient supply of carbohydrates and protein is essential; otherwise, even maintaining daily training would be difficult.

Watching him devour the still-warm rice ball, Imagawa Yoshimoto hummed with satisfaction.

After taking the wooden box from Okabe Motonobu's hands, who was guarding the food, and placing it in the center of the table, she got straight to the point and asked,

"Mr. Che, is there anything I can help you with?"

—The fact that Che would specifically seek her out at this time must mean that he has something he needs that "only she can do" or that "she is the first choice."

This is good.

Such a request can help bring the two people closer.

Imagawa Yoshimoto would love for more requests like this.

After finishing the rice ball, Uesugi Tetsuya didn't beat around the bush and directly told the two of them that he wanted a medicinal bath to aid his cultivation, as well as all the types of medicinal herbs he needed.

"Medicated bath?"

Motonobu Okabe muttered something strange to himself.

She shrugged: "I've never heard of any medicinal bath that could shorten this long, arduous process."

After saying that, she suddenly paused, then focused her gaze on Uesugi Tetsuya's exposed skin, squinted, and leaned closer, asking somewhat uncertainly,

“Mr. Che… your skin has changed.”

"You broke through?"

After staring at him for a moment, without waiting for his reply, Okabe Motonobu slowly confirmed, "Mr. Che, you've almost finished the skin tempering in just one afternoon."

"Lord Okabe has a good eye."

Uesugi Tetsu nodded.

After a moment of silence, Okabe Motonobu couldn't help but applaud and exclaim, "Such a change after just one meeting, no wonder the lord gave you such a high evaluation."

Listening to their conversation, Imagawa Yoshimoto, who was unaware of Uesugi Tetsuya's breathing technique, frowned and tilted his head in confusion.
"Yuanxin, and Che... what are you talking about?"

"Eh? My lord, you don't know?"

Okabe Motonobu scratched his head first, then exclaimed in sudden realization, "Oh! I almost forgot, my lord, you're still a bit far from achieving the Qi circulation stage, so I couldn't tell."

Qi circulation?

Upon hearing the incredibly familiar term, Imagawa Yoshimoto blinked, and a moment later seemed to realize something.

That's why it was so shocking.

She suddenly turned to look at the calm-faced Uesugi Tetsu, took a deep breath, and asked with pursed lips, "Tetsu... Mr., you also practiced the breathing technique and completed the Qi circulation?"

Uesugi Tetsu nodded his chin and replied modestly.
"It was only by chance that it was completed; in terms of skill, it is far inferior to that of Lord Okabe."

It actually...did it really finish?

You should know that Che is not a martial arts master who learned breathing techniques from a young age, but an Onmyoji!
Everyone calls him "Onmyoji Che"!
Including myself!
And now, she's being told that this Onmyoji Che is also second to none in the art of breathing techniques.
For the first time, the girl felt a slight sense of frustration. She wondered what she had been trying to cultivate herself for all those years.
Yoshimoto Imagawa gently rubbed his temples with his cool fingers.

But instead of getting lost in thought, she told Uesugi Tetsuya directly that the medicinal herbs for the bath would be ready tonight.

After Uesugi Tetsu explained the effects and "origins" of the medicinal bath, Imagawa Yoshimoto's eyes lit up, and he tentatively asked,

"Since the medicinal bath invented by Mr. Che's master is so effective, could I promote it to the entire Kawa family so that all samurai can use it?"

She looked at Uesugi Tetsuya with some anticipation.

But to everyone's surprise, he shook his head decisively: "Without the protection of the Qi circulation, recklessly using this medicinal bath will only result in sudden death halfway through."

Only those with a Qi circulation level of 1 or higher can use this medicinal bath.

Imagawa Yoshimoto glanced at the smiling Okabe Motonobu out of the corner of his eye before speaking, "I understand."

She pressed her advantage and then asked,

"Then, where is Mr. Che's master now?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto had already prepared his plan. No matter the cost, as long as it didn't affect his fundamental interests, bringing in Che's "master" would be a huge win.

If even the apprentice is this capable, then the master must be even more so!
—And Uesugi Tetsuya, who fabricated a non-existent master to fill in the gaps in the origin of the medicinal bath formula, sighed.
“My master has long since departed for the world, and may have already gone to the other side of the sea. I have no idea where he might be.”

Imagawa Yoshimoto paused for a moment, feeling a pang of regret.

"but."

Uesugi Tetsu changed the subject, wanting to use the "master" topic to bring up the samurai Zanzemaru.
"My master left me a wondrous shikigami that can accurately test the power of a slash, and it can be used by anyone."

As soon as he finished speaking, Uesugi Tetsu raised his hand, causing the round, black samurai Zanzemaru to appear out of thin air and land on the open ground to the side.

The samurai, Zanzemaru, with a serious expression, said in a deep voice,
"Owner."

Imagawa Yoshimoto looked at the round-headed shikigami, which possessed both comical and dignified features, and let out a slightly surprised "oh".

Okabe Motonobu, who had been sipping his tea, suddenly looked up and stared intently at the tall samurai, Zanzemaru.

Samurai Zanzemaru shifted his gaze, and after meeting Okabe Motonobu's eyes, he swayed slightly forward, indicating a bow: "Strong one, would you like to test your fist strength?"

Motonobu Okabe became interested upon hearing this.

She jumped up abruptly, without causing even the slightest ripple in the air.
"Lord!"

Trusting Uesugi Tetsuya, Imagawa Yoshimoto nodded upon hearing those two words.
"Go."

"okay!"

The woman strode up to Zanzemaru and grinned at him: "Hello, just call me Okabe."

“Samurai Zanzemaru,” it said. “Lord Okabe, please do as you please. I will not let even a fraction of my power leak out.”

"Thank you so much!"

Okabe Motonobu patted it happily at first, then turned his head and, seeing that Uesugi Tetsuya was also nodding to her, raised his fist without hesitation.

Tighten your five fingers.

Then fire!

The next instant, a violent explosion erupted within a foot of Okabe Motonobu's fist, less than a foot from the surface of the samurai Zanzemaru!
Samurai Zanzemaru immediately leaned backward, the extent of which was second only to the first full-force strike by Uesugi Tetsuya.

Samurai Zanzemaru seemed to take a deep breath before letting out a furious roar.

"Ten thousand two hundred and thirty-seven strings of cash... that's it!"

Ten thousand strings of cash!

Uesugi Tetsu's pupils shrank slightly.

And this was merely a punch thrown by Motonobu Okabe at close range without him even raising his hand!
You're telling me this is only the beginning of the meat-making process?

Uesugi Tetsu seriously suspected that Okabe Motonobu was about to complete his body's physical transformation and was about to start building muscle.

Otherwise, how could one possibly achieve this level of strength using only physical power and internal energy?
"oh--!"

Standing in front of Zhanzemaru, Okabe Motonobu leaned out to look at the motionless blades of grass behind him, exclaimed in admiration, and laughed loudly.
"Mr. Che, I love this Samurai Zanzemaru! I really love it!"

This is also normal.

After all, what samurai wouldn't like a "wooden dummy" that's impossible to cut and can accurately report your strength?

This is so convenient!

"By the way, Lord Okabe, about the exchange of breathing techniques..."

Uesugi Tetsu opened his mouth.

Okabe Motonobu turned around: "Well... didn't the lord say that the medicinal bath that Mr. Tetsu mentioned could be prepared before the end of tonight?"

She licked her lips and said with a smile,
"Then let's talk about it later when we're alone together late at night."

(End of this chapter)