I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 175 With the arrival of Lord Yiyuan, justice will prevail! [Hard Bones] Completed! Not a single one of those in the portraits will be spared.

"Che-jun, I'm coming in..."

At the doorway, Yoshimoto Imagawa was about to place his hand on the edge of the sliding door when the entire large sliding door suddenly slammed against the other side.

Snapped!
A sudden breeze lifted a strand of her hair.

Wearing only a large outer robe, exposing his strong chest and abdomen to the air, and radiating a faint warmth, Uesugi Tetsuya lowered his head, seemingly having just finished his training.

He laughed at the girl who almost bumped into his abs.

"Good evening, Lord Yiyuan."

Then Uesugi Tetsu looked away and nodded to the two-foot-tall man not far behind her, indicating that she had done enough.

After all, as the shikigami of the Onmyoji Che, all he could do was symbolically stop her with words and actions.

She couldn't possibly do anything to the head of the Imagawa family!
"Um……"

Imagawa Yoshimoto casually pulled his nose away from the area enveloped by the heat, then curiously peeked out from under his arm: "Che-kun, what are you doing in your room so late?"

Uesugi Tetsu stepped aside, revealing the spotless room to Imagawa Yoshimoto. He gestured for the latter to come in.

"I had some insights into cultivation this afternoon, and I was refining and consolidating my understanding on my own."

The girl took off her wooden clogs, walked quietly into his room, closed the sliding door behind her, looked around, and nodded in satisfaction.

—A man as diligent in his self-cultivation as Che Jun is indeed very particular about his personal hygiene.

She was very satisfied with this.

Unlike Yuanxin... every time he stayed in the room for less than two days, he would leave the whole room in a mess, with discarded weapons and the smell of alcohol everywhere.

In that light, the little monster that looked just like a mouse was indeed a good match for her.

After looking around, Imagawa Yoshimoto unceremoniously knelt down in the main seat in front of the small wooden tea table and calmly asked Uesugi Tetsu, who was sitting cross-legged,

"Che-jun, do you know what you did this afternoon?"

"What did you do this afternoon...?"

Uesugi Tetsu exhaled a breath of scorching energy, pinched his chin with his hand, and pretended to be deep in thought.

After a long silence, he snapped his fingers and answered seriously.
"Take a stroll. On such a beautiful day, it's only right to let Shiroishi and Erchi experience more of the prosperity of Junpu City under the rule of Lord Yoshimoto."

"Puch."

When Imagawa Yoshimoto heard this ridiculous lie, he couldn't help but cover his mouth and chuckle.

But it was really hard for her to feel displeasure when Uesugi Tetsu said such things.

Imagawa Yoshimoto had been tired of hearing these kinds of words for a long time.

But the key point is that the person who said this is the only great Onmyoji, the Onmyoji Che who cut off 30,000 kan with a single slash today.

He will offer the compliments.

The feeling is completely different.

At this moment, Uesugi Tetsuya seemed to remember something trivial and casually mentioned, "By the way, I went to the testing ground to stretch my muscles a bit."

"Slightly?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto exhaled softly from between his lips and teeth, clasped his hands together, lifted his chin with the back of his hands, and stared with a smile at the oblivious Uesugi Tetsu.
"Che-kun, the news about the slash you made this afternoon has spread like wildfire. It's everywhere, from Sunpu Castle and Imagawa Mansion to Suruga Province, from ordinary people and vendors to the elders of the family..."

Countless people already know that the Great Onmyoji Che's swordsmanship is also unparalleled in the world.

Imagawa Yoshimoto paused deliberately at this point: "By the way, those old geezers were like frightened birds, hastily summoning their long-unseen guards to their side."

"The Imagawa-kan was very lively at night."

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Tetsu glanced at the notifications that kept popping up.

[Your reputation during the late Muromachi and Sengoku periods +3...]

[Your reputation during the late Muromachi and Sengoku periods +2...]

His reputation has been increasing non-stop since the afternoon—and this growth will likely continue for a long time.

Uesugi Tetsu turned his gaze and saw that the head of the Imagawa family had already stared into his eyes, his gaze deep and unfathomable.
"—Che-jun, you really know how to surprise me."

"Oh? So Lord Yiyuan was quite pleasantly surprised when he learned of this."

Uesugi Tetsu nodded with a smile: "Then, Tetsu, you must add more different colors to Lord Yoshimoto's life from now on."

Boom!
"Don't play dumb with me, Che-jun!"

Imagawa Yoshimoto slammed his hand heavily on the wooden tea table: "You must have already thought about what might happen after you swung that sword, even before you left the Imagawa Mansion today."

“You’re not Yuan Xin, who does things impulsively when he gets excited.”

"Lord Yiyuan, you'll hurt Sister Yuanxin's feelings if you say that."

Imagawa Yoshimoto stared quietly at Uesugi Tetsu, who was sitting across the coffee table from her, thinking to herself that the more accomplished a person is, the more unpredictable their thoughts become.

—He unleashed a powerful strike, which could have been his trump card, right in front of the general public, squandering the momentary misjudgment of Che Jun's strength by others.

Even she couldn't figure out what Uesugi Tetsu was thinking.

Imagawa Yoshimoto rubbed the bridge of his nose and subconsciously licked his dry lips with the tip of his tongue.

However, afterward, she reflected on it and found that the benefits of Chejun's strike far outweighed the drawbacks.

The sword that Chejun wielded not only gathered up all the potential reactionary forces from that group of old fogies, but also injected a strong boost into the Three Kingdoms Alliance, which was already on the verge of collapse due to the teacher's critical illness.

In addition, the reputation of the Trial Slaying Ground was thoroughly established through this event.

From now on, the trial-cutting ground will continuously bring a considerable amount of revenue to the Imagawa family.

And most importantly, there is a persistent shortage of talent.

There is only one downside.

That is, the other daimyo and nations will therefore regard them as an even greater thorn in their side.

She might even come into the sights of the "Miyoshi Triumvirate" in the Kinki region, further increasing the difficulty of her journey to Kyoto.

and also……

Imagawa Yoshimoto frowned slightly, puzzled, wondering why that name had popped into his head.

—Oda Nobunaga.

Why is it that when considering threats, the first person I think of is this big fool from the Oda clan?
Compared to Takeda Shingen, and even the deceased "Viper of Mino" Saito Dosan... this fool is nothing compared to him.

Based on that big idiot's ancient city?
Imagawa Yoshimoto thought for a while, rejected the idea, and then found the answer.

Perhaps it was because Chejun had mentioned it to her seriously before.

She silently observed Uesugi Tetsuya, who seemed distracted and showed absolutely no respect for her, and asked with amusement,
"Che-jun, is there any tea?"

"There are some."

Uesugi Tetsu opened his storage backpack and began carefully selecting items from the contents.

Imagawa Yoshimoto continued to ponder.

—But even if the other daimyo value you, so what?
The so-called "people of the world" are those who go to Luoyang under the watchful eyes of everyone and sit on the highest throne.
If one doesn't even have that kind of spirit, then how can one be worthy of these three words?

"The tea is ready, Lord Yiyuan, please enjoy."

Imagawa Yoshimoto took the porcelain bowl containing lukewarm, clear black tea from the coffee table, but when she turned her head, she couldn't see any tea leaves.

I could only see this large jar of tea inside a transparent container.

The girl asked with some surprise, "What kind of tea is this?"

Without hesitation, Uesugi Tetsu lied: "Ming Dynasty black tea. I rescued a caravan when I came down the mountain, and they gave it to me as a token of their gratitude."

—It's actually a cheap black tea sold at 711-Eleven for 400 yen a large bottle.

Imagawa Yoshimoto opened his eyes wide and immediately lifted the porcelain bowl with both hands to take a sip of tea.

Suddenly, the sweetness from modern industry exploded in the girl's mouth.

She pursed her lips several times because of the sweetness, but after putting down the teacup, she found it inexplicably delicious.

Unsure, let me take another sip.

After repeating this process, Imagawa Yoshimoto quickly finished his tea.

Seeing this, Uesugi Tetsu raised the large jar, which was taller than her head, and asked, "Lord Yoshimoto, would you like more?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto had just lifted his teacup when he pressed it down again with his other hand.
"Ahem! No need!"

She put on a stern face and tapped the table with her knuckles: "Let's put what happened this afternoon behind us and get down to business."

Imagawa Yoshimoto said earnestly,
"I came to see you tonight, Che-jun, because I wanted to ask you if you have any thoughts on the expedition in a few days."

After all, this time their opponent was a 'great demon' they had never fought or encountered before.

She spoke first, briefly explaining the general plan: "My plan is to split into two groups before we arrive."

"One route is led by Yuanxin as the main force, just like before, while the other route, with fewer people, goes ahead to Mikawa Province to obtain current intelligence and information before the main force arrives."

After gaining a firm grasp of the overall situation, the suppression will be carried out with maximum efficiency.

Imagawa Yoshimoto asked, "Tetsu-kun, which way do you want to go?"

Uesugi Tetsuya downed the sugary black tea in one gulp, feeling slightly refreshed: "Shouldn't this be a decision for our lord?"

"—That's why I already said I have no experience dealing with powerful demons."

Imagawa Yoshimoto crossed his arms, inevitably causing his already loose robes to bulge out: "Shouldn't it be the most basic thing to refrain from criticizing masters in areas where one is not proficient?"

Uesugi Tetsu smiled.

—If he were now under Oda Nobunaga's command, the other party would probably start assigning him tasks and responsibilities.

He asked, "Where is Hanzo going?"

"The latter is of course the better."

Uesugi Tetsuya pondered for a moment, then replied, "Then let the three of us—Hanzo, Yoshimoto-kun, and myself—form the vanguard to infiltrate Mikawa Province."

"I?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto was somewhat surprised to hear his own name mentioned.

She tilted her head, pointing at herself with a puzzled look: "I don't know how to stealth or any of those fancy skills, so why are you including me in the investigation?"

The purpose, of course, was to increase the fame of "Imagawa Yoshimoto." But he couldn't just say that carelessly; if she pressed him for an explanation, it would be difficult to clarify.

So Uesugi Tetsu slowly revealed the answer he had already prepared.
"The role of Yi Yuan Gong was not to help, but to symbolize."

He proclaimed to the people, the powerful clans, and even the great demon lurking in the shadows of the Three Rivers Kingdom—the Lord Yuan, the ruler of the Three Rivers Kingdom, is coming.

He clapped his hands and said in a catchy tone, "With Lord Yiyuan here, life will be better! With Lord Yiyuan here, the rebellion will be quelled! With Lord Yiyuan here, the great demon will be exorcised!"

The girl's eyes crinkled with a smile upon hearing this.

So... are you treating me like a mascot?

“It’s not impossible.” Imagawa Yoshimoto straightened his back and twitched his slightly numb toes. “Tetsu-kun, I’ll grant your request and give it a try this time.”

Uesugi Tetsuya, who hadn't expected to get past her so easily, paused for a moment, swallowed back his subsequent advice and words, and instead made a request.
"Moreover, if I enter the Three Rivers Kingdom first, I can take this opportunity to seek out the Heavenly Craftsmanship."

Imagawa Yoshimoto: "The Heavenly Craftsman? Must we seek it at this crucial moment?"

"It's not that I chose this time."

Uesugi Tetsu shook his head and patted the crimson katana beside him: "It's because we're about to face a great demon that we need to seek out the Heavenly Craftsmanship to help Xiao Jia reach a higher level."

"—Because even I am not sure I can deal with a great demon that is still completely unknown. Every bit of strength I can increase my chances of winning."

Imagawa Yoshimoto scoffed: "Even if you, Che-kun, cannot fight against it, do you think my army is just eating for free? Even if that great demon is ten times more ferocious than that red demon before, it certainly cannot withstand the attack of thousands of people."

If facing a demon like the Red Oni, which is more physical, a thousand-strong army composed of foot soldiers, samurai, archers, and arquebusiers would naturally be able to easily defeat it.

The problem is... that great demon could be the Hundred-Eyed Demon, or any other great demon skilled in group bewitching and illusion.

For example, his four-tailed fox's [Mirage] talent can bewitch hundreds of people at the same time. Those great demons who are three stars or above and specialize in this skill can only do it better.

If, when facing such a powerful demon, an unsuspecting army were to be bewitched, that would be a truly spectacular sight.

Uesugi Tetsu explained in detail to Imagawa Yoshimoto the possible demons and their abilities, causing the latter to frown deeply.

"Such bizarre and monstrous demons exist in this world? I've never heard of them before."

After listening, she asked with a slightly worried expression,
"If it's just the three of us, isn't that a bit too few?"

Uesugi Tetsu: "No, if there are fewer people, I can always stand by your side, Yoshimoto-kun, but with more people, there are more variables, and the risk of being a target and being exposed will also increase significantly."

This statement makes sense.

Yoshimoto Imagawa, who had entered the room with a smile not long ago, felt that in just a few tens of minutes, he had a lot more troubles and problems.

Because of the existence of this "great demon," the originally simple and easy-to-understand suppression has become extremely difficult.

Demons and monsters are truly deserving of everyone's wrath!
She lay on the table, gently blowing small bubbles in her mouth, quickly clarifying everything in the present moment.

A few minutes later, Imagawa Yoshimoto sat up again, stood up, and said to Uesugi Tetsuya,

"I understand. I will invite you, Che-kun, if everything is ready."

The girl opened the sliding door again and saw the two-foot-tall man sitting at the door, chatting with Shiraishi while guarding the gate.

She put on her wooden clogs, then, under the watchful eyes of the two little ones, turned her head and whispered into the room.
"Goodnight, Che-jun."

The man watched her graceful departure, narrowed his eyes, and scoffed inwardly.

……

During the Warring States period, half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

This period was particularly peaceful, whether it was inside the Imagawa Castle, outside Sunpu Castle, or even the intermittent intelligence coming from Mikawa Province.

It's like the undercurrents surging before a towering wave.

For the past two weeks, every time Uesugi Tetsu saw Shiraishi, he would see him flipping through that ninja manual with a serious and eager expression.

—In contrast, Shiraishi's strength has also increased significantly, as if he had reached the first star level by rocket without any bottlenecks.

The force of that punch reached a full four hundred strings of cash!
While it's still not enough for most ninjas, it's a double improvement for Shiraishi two weeks ago!
Now he has learned quite a few ninjutsu techniques and can be considered a decent little ninja.

The place where the sword was tested in Sunpu Castle became famous because of Uesugi Tetsu's sword strike. Countless people came to visit or try their hand at the sword every day, and the heads alone filled several nearby streets.

Everyone hopes that they too can make that black sword-wielding pill announce the number "30,000 kan"!

Unfortunately, after Uesugi Tetsuya, let alone 30,000 kan, even samurai who could kill for 10,000 kan were extremely rare.

—As for Uesugi Tetsuya himself, there was still about a month and a half left before the deadline for completing the task of suppressing the riots in Mikawa Province, so he was not in a hurry.

His daily routine consisted of cultivating himself, giving pointers to Erchi Daren and Baishi, sleeping, and then continuing his cultivation.

Because of Imagawa Yoshimoto's presence, even though Uesugi Tetsu didn't need to worry about interpersonal relationships, his needs could be met almost perfectly.

"Therefore, this cultivation of unyielding bones can finally be considered complete!"

Uesugi Tetsuya suddenly stood up from the medicine, which was clearer than water. The cracking of bones beneath his skin and muscles brought him a final, excruciating pain.

His eyebrows twitched incessantly; even after enduring half a month of torment, he still couldn't adapt with a blank expression.

The excruciating pain of bone forging is far greater than that of skin tempering because the Qi must penetrate deep into the body before it begins to refine and forge the bones.

Not to mention strengthening bones in a medicinal bath.

Only by enduring pain that ordinary people cannot bear can one gain an edge in the climb!
Crack, crackle!

In the final moments, the creaking of bones gradually subsided.

Uesugi Tetsu slowly opened his arms to greet the golden shards of sunlight streaming in from the window. His body was crystalline and full, like a master sculpture from ancient Greece.

[Your skill, Coronal Breathing proficiency +26! ]

[Your skill, Five Thunder Method: Qi Combination Proficiency +7!]

—Hard bone, done!

[You have completed the Flesh Palace Training - Hard Bone Stage!]

Your bone strength has increased slightly!

[Your physique +1! ]

【Corona Breathing Technique (Iron Bones 3/500)】

[Effect: Upon reaching perfection, bones become as hard as black iron.]

—Skin forms the outline, bones form the support.

After hard bones come iron bones.

Uesugi Tetsu smiled.

—Once he has fully cultivated his skin, bones, flesh, and tendons, won't he become a humanoid Tyrannosaurus Rex capable of easily crashing down skyscrapers?

If even a master-level breathing technique can achieve this level of skill... the effects at the expert and even master levels are truly something to look forward to.

Thinking of this, Uesugi Tetsu shook his head, banishing this somewhat distant goal from his mind.

This is not something he should be considering right now.

He shifted his gaze to another prompt.

At the same time, the proficiency of the Five Thunder Technique: Qi Harmony, which can be practiced together with the breathing technique, has also increased by a hundred points, and is now over a thousand!
[Five Thunder Method: Qi Combination (Proficiency 1001/1400)]

"I feel that the improvement in my physical body is about the same as or even greater than when I was tempering my skin, but my attributes have only increased by a tiny bit?"

Uesugi Tetsu stretched his muscles and bones, producing a series of sticky popping sounds, forcibly squeezing the medicinal liquid from the gaps in his bones out of his pores.

He stepped onto the wooden floor, used his inner energy to remove the residual medicine from his body, and silently thought to himself,
"Perhaps it's because the higher the attribute level, the greater the increase represented by each point."

After getting dressed in the room, Uesugi Tetsu opened the sliding door, which was locked with his protective aura, only to find an unexpected figure.

—Okabe Motonobu, clad in black armor, expressionless, eyes wide open.

Motonobu Okabe opened his eyes even wider than during the previous misunderstanding.

Almost, they're now on par with normal people!
Uesugi Tetsu breathed in and out the thick, cold air, looking at the little rascal huddled on her shoulder.

"Another breakthrough?"

Okabe Motonobu first muttered something to herself with a hint of surprise, then grinned exaggeratedly, to an almost grotesque degree, thanks to her exceptional control over her body.

"That's great news, Mr. Che!"

She reached out and patted Uesugi Tetsu's shoulder hard, then burst into laughter after feeling that incredibly solid support.

"The army is ready. Today, my lord appoints me as the commander-in-chief and you, Mr. Che, as the deputy commander, to lead an expedition to the Three Rivers Kingdom to suppress the rebellion!"

"and this."

Before Uesugi Tetsuya could reply, he felt Okabe Motonobu stuff a large pile of folded papers into his arms.

He peeked through the gap and saw what appeared to be a portrait of a human face.

The artist's skills seem excellent, capturing the details with remarkable realism.

Just as Uesugi Tetsu was about to say something, Okabe Motonobu pressed his index finger, covered by rough leather armor, to his mouth.

The military commander, absolutely loyal to Imagawa Yoshimoto, spoke with an iron-fisted indifference.
"Read and then burn."

Then she spoke, and from between her raised lips seemed to flow a suffocating, stench of blood.

"Leave no one behind."

Uesugi Tetsu nodded silently.

“What about time?” he asked.

"We'll talk about that later. First, come with me to see the lord."

Okabe Motonobu turned around, and in the blink of an eye, he had already resumed his smiling demeanor.
"After all, I am only here on the orders of my lord to inform you, Mr. Che."

Uesugi Tetsu lifted his foot and stepped out of the front door, beckoning the two adults, who were happily munching on seaweed rice balls, to follow him.

It's time to set off.

Uesugi Tetsu looked at the portraits one by one and thought calmly.

At the same time, it was time for those old fogies who held positions without doing any work to die.

I wonder how much inheritance and gold coins these old fogies, who have been sucking the blood off the Imagawa family for who knows how long, will be able to unearth?

Indeed, I'm somewhat looking forward to it.

(End of this chapter)