I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 187 Spirit Control Technique - Expert Level! The Crucial Choice Between [Qi] and [Spirit]! Little Jia's Early Childhood Education Time
In a quiet room by the mountain in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo.

In front of the incense burner, three long sticks of incense burned slowly.

The smoke dissipated, bringing peace of mind.

With her black hair hanging down her back and dressed in plain white, Yuan Jingshui closed her eyes and knelt before the small incense burner.

On her lap lay a scabbard as black as ink, about three feet three inches long, far exceeding the length of an ordinary katana.

This katana is so menacing that it gives you goosebumps at first glance, completely out of place with Minamoto no Shizumizu's peaceful and serene demeanor.

This sword is a demon sword, named Hotarumaru.

The blade pattern is a rare "all-burn" pattern, and the blade will emit a bluish-white cold light in the dark. It is said that the fluorescence on the blade will increase with each person killed.

The Edo period essay "Mimibukuro" records: "When the blade is swung, the trail of light remains like a shooting star," which refers to this.

This Firefly Strike has slain countless demons and warriors throughout history, yet now it lies quietly on Minamoto Shizumi's lap, bathing and burning incense alongside her.

The room was decorated in an unremarkable manner, and the girl's movements were equally unremarkable.

It seemed like just an ordinary morning.

The only thing worth noting was the cell phone that was specially placed in front of the incense burner.

Correct.

That’s right, a cell phone.

A phone with the screen unlocked and still lit.

"The Fourth Miss is alone in the quiet room again, not moving at all."

"There are always a few times like this every month... Oh well, this is not our business."

Outside the quiet room, the servants at the door were talking in hushed tones, unaware that Yuan Jingshui had heard every single word and every nuance of their sentences.

The source of still water doesn't care.

Because she was already used to people gossiping about her behind her back; it had happened so many times before, one more time wouldn't make a difference.

She was just waiting.

—After returning to her quiet room at six o'clock today, she bathed and burned incense, and has been waiting ever since.

Wait for the phone notification to ring.

Time passed by little by little, but Yuan Jingshui had long since gotten used to it.

If it doesn't work in one day, it will take ten.

It's just waiting; such time passes in the blink of an eye.

Before Yuan Jingshui could shift her attention from outside the door back to her body, the phone placed in front of the incense burner began to vibrate.

pat.

A flash of white light landed on the turquoise answer button, and the call was connected.

Is this a moment, or a fleeting instant?
It's hard to say how short a time that was.

The result was as if a phone call had been automatically connected, and then Shizumi Gen, who was kneeling on the ground, spoke softly:
"Excuse me, are you a current seed member of the Arakawa Ward Special Affairs Department...?"

She simplified the information she had gathered over the past few days and then recounted it in detail, as if reciting a familiar story.

Then, for some reason, an eerie silence fell over the other end of the phone.

Ke Yuanjingshui could also hear the rumble of a car engine from the other side, and even the sound of electrical current surging in electronic devices.

So she clearly and softly stated her name.
"Hello, I am Yuan Jingshui."

After a long silence, a somewhat stiff voice came from the speaker: "Hello, Ms. Yuan, I am Uesugi Tetsu."

After a pause, the speaker continued to vibrate: "Excuse me, what can I do for you?"

Yuan Jingshui stood ramrod straight and spoke slowly and deliberately.
"I would like to apologize to you personally, Uesugi-kun, for what happened last time when Saito Ryuichi and I spied on you while you were dining with your shikigami."

"—Uesugi Tetsu, I'm sorry."

Yuan Jingshui's voice was extremely sincere.

So it took a while before a surprised "Huh?" came from the other end of the phone.

Yuan Jingshui waited quietly, and after a while, Uesugi Tetsuya spoke somewhat stiffly on the phone.
"Uh... okay, thank you for your apology, Ms. Yuan."

He said, "Yes, I accept."

Snapped.

Another flash of white light appeared.

The call was hung up.

After kneeling for almost a whole morning, Yuan Jingshui finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Because she couldn't calm down unless she heard Uesugi Tetsu personally accept her apology.

it's good now.

"From now on, I won't go into these petty thefts with Saito anymore."

—She couldn't sleep well for several days after just one sneak peek.

Yuan Jingshui murmured softly, and then in an instant entered a deep meditation, abandoning everything outside his mind.

Determined to defeat all opponents and gain her sister's approval, Yuan Jingshui continues to walk alone on the path called "Hundred Refinements of the Mind".

……

At the entrance of the Special Affairs Office in Arakawa Ward.

Staring at the phone in Uesugi Tetsuya's hand, which was abruptly disconnected and started beeping, the two fell into an unspoken silence.

Xiao Yuelan, who was all ready to take off her clothes, scratched her head after getting caught up in some inexplicable gossip: "What does this woman mean? Do all members of the Yuan family like to say such nonsensical things?"

Uesugi Tetsuya, who was also momentarily confused, concluded with a strange expression,
"You mean to say that my opponent in the Tokyo seeding battle, Minamoto no Shizumi, the eldest daughter of the Minamoto family, was monitoring me together with Saito Ryuichi, who used Yin-Yang techniques."

Because I felt so guilty, I came here today to sincerely and earnestly apologize, and all for that.

Xiaoyuelan: ?

"What the hell? Why do I need to apologize for this?" She couldn't understand. "Isn't it an unspoken rule that everyone uses their own skills and methods to spy on their opponents before the competition?"

Xiao Yuelan asked in bewilderment, "What's wrong with monitoring for a while? Even if it's 24-hour surveillance, I wouldn't see any problem with it at all."

Uesugi Tetsu raised an eyebrow and stuffed his phone back into his pocket: "Maybe that's why they're better than you."

Xiao Yuelan retorted, "My senior brother is just like me; he's much more capable than this little sister!"

Uesugi Tetsu: "Anyone who didn't know better would think you were called 'Senior Brother'."

Xiao Yuelan was so rebuffed that she switched out of power-saving mode again—what she wanted wasn't this kind of verbal attack, but a physical attack of equal intensity!
Uesugi Tetsu ignored her and just pondered for a moment.

—This Yuan Jingshui is actually quite an interesting person.

But she managed to find out so much about me... The information Nanjo sent me before described her as "arrogant, aloof, and haughty."

It seems that publicly available information cannot be trusted too much.

"Are you done talking now? Then I'll continue. The sooner I finish, the sooner I can slip away."

Nanjo Manami's electronic music interrupted Uesugi Tetsu's thoughts.

Uesugi Tetsu nodded after deciding to get to know Minamoto Shizumi properly after the second round.
"Nanjo-nee, you go ahead."

"Didn't they say the illegal phone booths were causing trouble again?"

It seemed someone was adjusting something, so the electronic music inside the silver sphere fluctuated in intensity, but this didn't stop Nanjo Manami from continuing to speak.
"Although I told you on the phone last time that you don't need to worry about this wave."

Just a few hours ago, this black phone booth began to spread rapidly, carried by waves... That's the annoying thing about ghost stories; they always manage to spread in inexplicable ways.

In just a few hours, it has spread throughout Tokyo—or rather, in smaller cities outside Tokyo.

Stab it!

After a powerful surge of electricity, the entire silvery-white sphere was completely transformed.

After two wrench-like clicks, a young boy's voice emerged from the small ball: "It should be adjusted now. Aunt Nanjo, why don't you try it again?"

Nanjo... Auntie?
I think Wu Jun is quite a ruthless person.

Uesugi Tetsu kept his eyes down, pretending not to hear anything.

There was a few seconds of silence inside the small ball, and then, without even pausing for breath, Nanjo Manami continued speaking as if nothing had happened.
"Moreover, these black phone booths specifically target ordinary people to kill, so as not to attract the attention of various local forces."

Wu Jun's technique seems to be quite good; this time, there was absolutely no electrical noise in the small ball.

Nanjo Manami: "Although I recently intercepted the footage of the illegal phone booths being used, I also cleared out the phone booths in Arakawa Ward overnight."

Someone from the main body has already come knocking on our door, and it should be resolved within a week at most.

However, Uesugi-kun, you still need to be careful.

This abrupt turn of events startled Uesugi Tetsuya, who asked in bewilderment, "What's the reason?"

"Because these ghost stories seem to have started to evolve... Also, you've had contact with the Demon Guide Association before, haven't you?"

The Demon Guide Association.

If we're talking about his contact with this world-changing organization, it was only that one time with Nue.

How could a mere one or two thousand points of Soul Ash possibly make such a large organization take notice of a nobody like me, Karami?
Uesugi Tetsu responded.

Then he heard Nanjo Ai said, "Judging from the radio wave clips I intercepted, this black phone booth is actually the work of the Yokai Association."

She sneered.

"Following the aftershocks of the wave, those rats hiding in the shadows have once again reached out to the world with unwavering determination."

But that's fine too; it lets me chop off a couple of claws to set an example. And if there are any fearless daredevils, I might as well uproot them completely.

Even the Demon Guide Association, which Lian Shenghai considered insignificant, has made a move. So, what about the factory owners, the warring states daimyo, and the Eight Sufferings Daoists?

Uesugi Tetsu felt as if the world was a giant cake, and the greedy diners wielding bloody knives and forks were floating on the surface of the waves, slowly approaching...

Nanjo Manami was as authentic as ever.

"If you, with your troublemaking nature, encounter any monsters or strange tales that you can't handle, remember to tell me immediately or report it to the Special Affairs Department."

Uesugi Tetsu said helplessly to the silver ball, "I caused trouble? Nanjo-nee, you should probably keep an eye on Kitano-san first, so she doesn't get caught up in this mess again..."

"You've managed to encounter sick and suffering families, and you still have the nerve to say you don't cause trouble?" Nanjo Aimi said mercilessly. "If you ask me, an ordinary person would never even see the Eight Sufferings once in their entire life!"
So before you say that, take a look in the mirror and see what you're doing all day!

—I traveled back 500 years and am now helping the Tokaido daimyo Imagawa Yoshimoto fight his illness.

Of course, one could never say such a thing.

So Uesugi Tetsu simply kept quiet.

"Okay, go play."

Nanjo Aimi knew he was unlikely to say anything, so she yawned and said, "If you need any resources later, just ask me. If I have them, I'll give them to you, okay?"

“Okay,” Uesugi Tetsu replied.

Nanjo Aimi ended the communication decisively—letting the silvery-white ball float back and revert to its original function as a surveillance camera.

Its functions were fully restored within seconds.

Just as Uesugi Tetsu was about to leave, he noticed that his cuff was being pulled by Akatsuki Ran, who had pulled her mask down to her chin.

She chuckled sleepily and blew him a kiss.
"If you ever feel unhappy or upset in the future, Uesugi-kun, feel free to come to me anytime and vent your anger. You can treat me however you want~"

After saying that, she let go of his hand, trying to play hard to get.

Fortunately, she let go after saying that outrageous thing, otherwise Uesugi Tetsuya, who was in a hurry, would have thrown a deliberate punch.

Uesugi Tetsu quickly forgot these outrageous words and ran towards the outline of the distant mountains.

He wanted to find a secluded spot with a slightly higher concentration of spiritual energy to take the Spirit Gathering Pill.

Six minutes later.

He landed lightly in a dense forest with a decent concentration of spiritual energy, and Uesugi Tetsuya took out a Spirit Gathering Pill from his storage backpack.

Without saying a word, he threw it into his mouth.

A prompt will appear immediately.

[You have taken the Compressed Spirit Gathering Pill - Extreme!]

What followed was a sudden surge of immense spiritual power within his body!

For a moment, Uesugi Tetsu even felt that he was about to bleed from all seven orifices from being overwhelmed by this surging spiritual power.

But in the blink of an eye, his spirit control technique seemed to have been automatically switched on.

In just a few seconds, it absorbed the enormous mass of spiritual energy that would normally take several days to accumulate, leaving nothing behind.

It's like telling Uesugi Tetsuya, "You don't need to move, let us do it ourselves."

Next, the upgrade notification for the Spirit Control Technique naturally popped up.

[Your skill, Spirit Controlling Skill proficiency +300! ]

Your skill, Spirit Control, has been upgraded to Expert level!

Two similar prompts, which Uesugi Tetsu had seen countless times before, appeared one after another.

He should have just glanced at it and continued looking down.

But this time, it seems...

slidely different.

But where is the difference?

Uesugi Tetsu blinked blankly, then suddenly felt the world within his five senses become infinitely vast.

It extends from the original "circle" towards the distant horizon, extending... seemingly without end, continuing to expand and grow.

He clenched his fist, staring at the spiritual energy that was seeping out like water from between his fingers and gradually surging.

Is it because—his spirit control technique has reached the expert level?
Is that right?

As Uesugi Tetsu calmly experienced the world and his five senses, which were completely different from before, he slowly moved his gaze.

[Spirit Control Technique (Expert 195/4000)]

[Effect: Control the energy of heaven and earth, and connect with the spirits of all things.]

The skill level required to progress from proficient to expert is only four times higher, which is quite cost-effective.

The breathing technique next door has increased by almost double just from the proficient to the master level. It's hard to imagine how much proficiency is needed to advance even a small level after reaching the master level.

The effects section remains unchanged, highlighting the simple and direct effectiveness of the Spirit Control Technique.

Then there's the direct improvement brought by expert-level spirit control techniques.

[Your Spirit Control skill has been upgraded to Expert level, your Spirit Magic +10!]

[Because your Spirit Control Technique has been upgraded to Expert level, your affinity for spiritual energy has greatly increased!]

[Because your Spirit Control Technique has been upgraded to Expert level, your perception of "Qi" will be much more acute!]

The first two items are easy to understand.

Nowadays, Uesugi Tetsuya can create a small-scale spiritual energy tide around him with just a casual breath.

—Because spiritual energy always flows from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration, and the greater the concentration difference, the faster the flow.

But what does it mean to be more sensitive to "qi"?
gas?
Internal energy?罡气? Or spiritual energy?
Uesugi Tetsu didn't immediately understand where the improvement lay, so he first opened the simple and intuitive data panel.

【Uesugi Tetsu】

【Physique: 51】

[Will: 31]

【Charm: 12】

[Spiritual Arts: 33 → 43]

Even in its blank state, it possesses over 50 points in physical constitution and nearly 50 points in spiritual magic attribute.

If Uesugi Tetsu wore a mask and a jade pendant, and slightly activated his breathing technique, he could easily break through the 100-point barrier in his physique.

If one transforms into a four-tailed fox, their spiritual attribute will soar to 89 points, which is comparable to most Onmyoji who have just reached three stars.

Uesugi Tetsu casually closed the attribute panel, then tried to use the Spirit Control Technique to suppress the spiritual energy fluctuations on his body.

After all, if you went out with this spiritual energy fluctuation that was almost turning into liquid, you would be no different from a giant humanoid LED light.

"Hmm?" Uesugi Tetsu looked down in surprise at his body, which was now completely bare.

The surging spiritual power... was actually suppressed by the Spirit Control Technique in an instant?
The effect was surprisingly good.

A significant increase in spiritual power, a greater degree of control over spiritual power, and the ever-evolving and evolving five senses...

These all seem to be changes brought about by the upgrade of the Spirit Control Technique?
The enhancement brought about by expert-level spirit control techniques may be far greater than the "heartstring amplifier" effect I had previously anticipated.

Just as Uesugi Tetsu was thinking this, several more notifications suddenly appeared and occupied the center of his field of vision.

[Your skill, Spirit Control, has been upgraded to "Expert Level"!]

Please choose between "Qi" and "Spirit" for your skill, Spirit Control, to determine your future focus.

Please note that this decision is extremely important! Please choose carefully!

choice?

Qi and spirit?
Uesugi Tetsu stared at the three lines of prompts, his brows furrowing slightly as he pondered.

He couldn't help but recall what Ririko had told him in the past: that once swordsmanship reached the "expert level," he would inevitably encounter something like this—

The choice between "skill" and "reason".

"On one hand, there is sword skill; on the other hand, there is sword theory. As someone who has just stepped into the realm of the extraordinary, how should you choose to focus on your future?"

This is the very problem that is now facing Uesugi Tetsuya.

【gas】

[It is the breath of life, the pulse of nature, the bond that flows between heaven and earth.]

【spirit】

"All things have a spirit, and I should be the head of all spirits."

Following "qi" and "ling," there are only two brief sentences of introduction.

How to choose?
Uesugi Tetsu recalled the earlier hint and then tentatively flicked a wisp of qi from his fingertips.

Two seconds later, he determined that the "qi" was at least related to the qi of the body.

Thinking back to the easily suppressed spiritual energy, it must also have a deep connection with spiritual energy.

Judging from this introduction, it seems that anything related to "qi" can be involved.

—The word "spirit" probably leans more towards Onmyodo and Shikigami (spirits/spirits).

Uesugi Tetsuya fell into deep thought, and went through the prompts several more times to confirm that there was no third option to select "Qi and Spirit" at the same time.

Perhaps it's because my knowledge of Yin-Yang techniques is too low—I only have a rudimentary understanding of the Five Elements Yin-Yang theory.

As for whether the Five Thunder Techniques - Qi Harmony can be considered a Yin-Yang technique, it's hard to say.

If he could still devote himself to studying Yin-Yang techniques before advancing to the expert level in Spirit Control Technique, and raise all four paths and five elements to the proficiency level.

Perhaps a third option will appear now.

"pity."

Uesugi Tetsu shook his head.

Without the slightest hesitation, he focused his mind on the "Qi" prompt.

Pay close attention!

—At this point, there is no point in regretting the past.

To dwell on things that cannot be changed is something only the weak would do.

The strong will gladly accept and remember this regret, and then continue to move towards the future while ensuring that they will not repeat the mistake.

[You have chosen to focus on the path of Qi!]

Your skill, Spirit Control, has undergone a significant change!

[Spirit Control Technique - Qi (Expert 195/4000)]

[Effect: Breath of Heaven, Breath of Earth, Breath of Man.]

[—A shared understanding, a resonance of minds, this is the truth.]

As several notifications popped up, Uesugi Tetsuya stared blankly at the pure white aura at his fingertips.

changed.

Something has changed.

The circulation of Qi, the Five Thunder Techniques' Qi Harmony, the flow of spiritual energy within his body, and even his unconscious breathing... all of these underwent inexplicable changes.

At the same time, the five senses, which had stopped extending and expanding, also changed.

They transformed into a circle again, only now their area was several times larger than before.

Uesugi Tetsu took a deep breath.

A surge of power welled up from every part of his body, and the overwhelming vitality made him feel slightly intoxicated.

Despite no improvement in his stats, and no change in his spiritual power or physical strength, Uesugi Tetsu could still feel himself becoming "stronger".

Strength is a relative and usually subjective concept.

But the current Uesugi Tetsuya is able to turn this subjectivity into reality.

He rubbed his fingertips together, playing with the qi he controlled as if it were his own arm and the lightning that had already circled 108 times. After glancing at the time, he clenched his fist.

"There are still a few minutes left in the half hour, so let's give it a try first."

First is the Coronavirus Breathing Method, or rather, its most obvious external manifestation—the circulation of vital energy.

With a slight thought, Uesugi Tetsuya caused the qi circulation that was originally attached to the surface of his body and was almost invisible to the naked eye to suddenly expand.

Click!

The small tree beside him was instantly crushed into dust by the expanding circulation of qi, which then drifted into the air with the breeze.

Uesugi Tetsuya somewhat embarrassedly shrank his Qi circulation back to its original form, realizing that his current level of control over Qi was more than ten times higher than before.

However, the strength of the Qi circulation is not easy to test.

Let's wait until we return to the Warring States period and let the ailing families test it on their bodies.

He raised his hand again, drawing out a thin, winding bolt of lightning with his fingertips, and stared at it as it transformed into thousands of Chinese characters in a few seconds.

Uesugi Tetsu flicked his finger again and then withdrew it, causing a wisp of lightning that had rushed into the air to be obediently brought back to his fingertip and swirling around.

"But all this fancy stuff is pretty useless..."

For a Thunder team whose objective is lethality, speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness are paramount.

Uesugi Tetsu blinked.

So, all seventy-eight trees, tall or short, that circled around him had a faint black dot at the center of their trunks, seventeen centimeters from the ground.

"That's right."

He clapped with satisfaction.

Uesugi Tetsuya focused his attention on the Spirit Control Technique, which was already ranked at the top of all the skills.

The changes brought about by this mere minor spirit control technique were truly greater than he had expected.

Before this, the Spirit Control Technique was merely an upgraded version of the basic Spirit Absorption Technique, with at most the addition of the ability to communicate with spirits that had descended.

However, by simply crossing one level, the Spirit Control Technique underwent a complete transformation, significantly boosting his overall combat power, and its future prospects are very promising.

What if the already powerful Natural Mindfulness style, which is a primary combat skill, gets upgraded...?

Oh, right.

When it comes to communicating with spirits, Uesugi Tetsu almost forgot that he came out to upgrade his spirit control technique in order to have a better communication with Kaga Kiyomitsu.

He patted Kaga Kiyomitsu's scabbard to apologize, then closed his eyes and let his consciousness sink into his mind.

Heartstrings, heartstrings...

In just a few seconds, Uesugi Tetsuya clearly "saw" the two heartstrings, at a speed more than ten times faster than last time.

He skillfully locked onto Kaga Kiyomitsu's heartstrings and activated his spirit control technique.

Soon, you can see that the heartstring, which was originally just fixed and thinner than a kite string, is quickly surrounded by radiance!

Then, under Uesugi Tetsu's gaze, that heartstring grew thicker and thicker and thicker...

Finally, it transformed into a healthy heartstring that was roughly the same size as when the two-foot-tall man was by her side, and that she could communicate clearly with him!

Uesugi Tetsuya suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Kaga Kiyomitsu, who was trembling with confusion.

He curved his lips into a smile, sending ripples through the heartstrings—

"It's done! Little Jia, can you hear me now?"

"Buzzing? Buzzing?"

Uesugi Tetsu:?

Why is it still buzzing?
He suspected he had misheard, so he used his inner energy to block his ears and asked a few more questions in his mind.

Unsurprisingly, I then received a buzzing response.

Uesugi Tetsu asked, puzzled, "No, Jia, are you a mosquito?"

"Buzz..."

Kaga Kiyomitsu replied somewhat dejectedly.

Seeing Kaga Kiyomitsu retract into his sheath and even begin to withdraw into himself, Uesugi Tetsu quickly offered a few words of comfort before it started humming again.

—Strange, why is Xiao Jia still buzzing?

—But his heartstrings were indeed fine. He could only sense some emotions before, but now he could clearly hear what Kaga Kiyomitsu was saying, including the buzzing inflections and changes in tone.

Uesugi Tetsu thought for a moment, then fell silent.

—Could it be that Kaga Kiyomitsu is currently like an infant who has just developed sentience and cannot speak at all?
If that's the case, wouldn't he become a stay-at-home dad ahead of time and start his early childhood education life from scratch?

Or would it be easier to learn "Canadian"?
In any case, Kaga Kiyomitsu probably knows what he's going to do.

After first telling Kaga Kiyomitsu not to get annoyed and to mentally repeat a few words to him to create a linguistic environment, Uesugi Tetsuya took out the Key to History.

But the sentence above was probably superfluous, because Kaga Kiyomitsu did not show the slightest annoyance; on the contrary, he was overjoyed and wanted to say ten sentences per second.

It was so noisy and bustling...

With a sigh, Uesugi Tetsuya first took out the document bag from his storage backpack and spent more than a minute reading it in detail, letting the incantation on it dissipate into a wisp of spiritual energy.

After that, he directly infused the Key of History with spiritual power in the mountains.

……

Outside Yoshida Castle, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

Having meticulously maintained the circulation of his internal energy and fluctuations of spiritual power at the levels he had just displayed before his departure, Uesugi Tetsuya landed before the dozing Mountain Whale King.

"Mr. Whale Three, were there any unusual circumstances last night?"

Nothing happened, everything is fine.

The Mountain Whale King smacked its lips and replied without even opening its eyes.

Behind it, three komainu dogs, which had been standing solemnly like statues, barked and surrounded it the moment they saw Uesugi Tetsuya, showing unusual intimacy.

Uesugi Tetsu patted the dogs' heads and was about to go inside to ask Imagawa Yoshimoto if he had rested well when he saw her walk out with a serious expression.

"—The carrier pigeon hasn't flown back yet."

Imagawa Yoshimoto sighed and turned his gaze toward the direction where the sun was rising.

She said softly

"Yoshida Castle has probably already fallen."

Uesugi Tetsuya did a quick mental calculation.

The carrier pigeon was released by Imagawa Yoshimoto about twenty hours later. If nothing happened inside Yoshida Castle—even if it was just the Matsudaira family—the pigeon should have returned safely.

Because the not-so-bright, sick relatives wouldn't dare to lay a hand on a pigeon flying in mid-air.

Unless he was caught after falling into the Matsudaira family's hands.

Uesugi Tetsu responded expressionlessly.

This was expected.

However, it is considered a relatively bad situation.

I just don't know which sentient, independent relative of the sick and suffering has come...

Is it a purported spirit? A herpes-ridden emperor? A cough-worshipping deity? Or is it some kind of tormented bondage?

I just hope it's not the most difficult one who comes.

He was just about to share some knowledge about the suffering of sick relatives with Imagawa Yoshimoto when a prompt suddenly popped up in front of him.

[The current level of influence of the world's journey on history: 1% → 1.1%!]

Does this increase its historical impact?
Even though his reputation increased significantly when he struck with a single blow, and his historical influence remained unchanged when he exorcised the sick and suffering families of the surrounding villages.

Why did it suddenly improve at this time?

Uesugi Che was stunned.

It took him a while to realize that it might be thanks to Lord Erchi.

Yes, it's been five whole days, and there's still no news from Master Erchi and Sister Yuanxin.

Judging by the time, they should have arrived in this area by now.

After experiencing the heartstrings, Uesugi Tetsu realized that the distance between himself and the two-foot-tall man had not narrowed much.

strangeness.

Uesugi Tetsuya followed suit, enlarging and thickening the heartstrings connected to the two-foot-tall man, and soon reached the point where he could vaguely sense the other's emotions.

His heart clenched, and he asked a question.

A moment later, the other end of my heartstrings trembled violently.

"Troublesome" and "safe".

This message was conveyed.

In other words, it seems that although there is trouble, it can be resolved.

Uesugi Tetsu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a little more at ease.

After all, if the safety of the shikigami body of the two-foot-tall master were to be compromised, it would be a great loss.

"Lord Yoshimoto, Nishiki and Motonobu are facing a thorny problem, but the situation in Yoshida Castle and the entire Mikawa Province can no longer be delayed any longer..."

He paused slightly, then spoke earnestly to Imagawa Yoshimoto, whose expression was solemn but whose demeanor remained calm.
"We may have to rely on ourselves first."

The ruler of the Three Rivers Kingdom took a deep breath facing the rising sun, and then calmly asked,

"Are you sure?"

Uesugi Tetsu knew that this question was directed at himself.

So, Uesugi Tetsuya, who had just broken through to the expert level in Spirit Control Technique, was about to bring another breakthrough to the Natural Heart-Soothing School, and had also obtained relevant information about illness from the Special Affairs Department, grinned.

"To say that we have everything under control might be a bit of an overstatement."

With a smile, he carefully picked up the girl's fist, which had nails digging into her flesh, pried it open, and poured a drop of the refreshing mist onto it: "Lord Yiyuan, Che can only say that he will do his best."

Imagawa Yoshimoto stared at Uesugi Tetsuya, at this mysterious and unpredictable Onmyoji who was now willing to kneel as his retainer.

She felt the warmth emanating from her palm, and the anxiety, urgency, and gloom that had filled her heart to the extreme were somewhat relieved.

Yoshimoto Imagawa spoke expressionlessly; she rarely showed any extra emotion since the Mountain Whale King joined the team.

"In that case, let's set off."

The three mounted their horses, with three komainu dogs (guardian dogs) nimbly running behind them.

Before long, Uesugi Tetsuya and his group left the village and arrived at a small forest in the hills closest to Yoshida Castle.

From here on the mountainside, you can already see the outline of Yoshida Castle in the distance, which is not much different from before.

Just as we were about to leave the hill, a spirited old man's shout came from the edge of the woods.
"Heroes! Can you lend this old man a hand?"

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(End of this chapter)