I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 269 The Lord of the Fallen East Sea Road: If only "Che" were here, the Lin Word Technique, 10%!

Ii Naomori.

This name was not unfamiliar to Uesugi Tetsuya. Although he was not one of the most core retainers of the Imagawa family, his status was not low.

—Even though all the incompetent elders of the Imagawa family were purged by Imagawa Yoshimoto, and he also knew in advance about the revival of heaven and earth and took countermeasures.

However, in history, the Imagawa clan still suffered a defeat at Okehazama, losing once again to the Sixth Heaven Demon King, Oda Nobunaga.

Perhaps after reading this memory orb, we can glimpse the real reason why this history has not changed after we left.

Uesugi Tetsu used his lightning palm to take the ball of light in front of him and said, "I'll use these balls of light now."

"Please."

The Onmyoji opposite looked at the hand that Uesugi Tetsu had conjured with the Five Thunder Technique with considerable apprehension, and with a flick of his sleeve, he took back all the remaining memory orbs.

The fox-faced woman smiled silently and knelt on the wooden floor, waiting quietly.

[Read the memory sphere of Ii Naomori (Imagawa clan)?]

"Yes."

[Loading...]

The noisy and bustling scene and sounds of the Hanafuda shop gradually faded away.

What immediately welled up in Uesugi Tetsuya's heart was a series of emotions: astonishment, calm, and mourning.

Three progressively deeper, increasingly negative emotions form the dominant theme of the memories within this sphere of light.

— This is probably because the quality of the memory orb is not very high, and the timeline it contains is very long.

Therefore, the fragments that Uesugi Tetsu saw were both disjointed and fragmented, and somewhat blurry in some places.

"Shangluo!"

This was the first thing Uesugi Tetsu heard when "Ii Naomori" opened his eyes.

His tone was strong and authoritative.

Shangluo?

Going straight to Luoyang right from the start?
If we consider Shangluo, the earliest possible date would be after 1559.

It has been more than three years since I mysteriously disappeared in their eyes.

Uesugi Tetsu felt his gaze lift up.

And so he came to see the head of the Imagawa family, who was sitting in the familiar main seat, dressed in the same familiar contemporary attire.

She raised her hand and continued speaking in an impassioned tone.

Through some unique patterns on the armor, Uesugi Tetsu could even recognize that it was the set that Zashiki had forged by hand.

However, unlike before, Imagawa Yoshimoto now wore a cold, black iron mask that covered his entire face.

It's strange. He's spent so much time with Imagawa Yoshimoto, but he's never seen her like masks.

"That's all! I hope you will all perform your duties and make preparations promptly!"

Imagawa Yoshimoto waved his arm again, announcing the end of this first meeting in Kyoto.

At this moment, Uesugi Tetsu could sense Ii Naomori's immense excitement. He even wished he could ride to Kyoto the next day and hang the Imagawa clan's banner on the city walls.

Looking around, he found that the other military officers and civil servants were also in high spirits, and the entire Imagawa family was enveloped in a vibrant and uplifting atmosphere.

It looks like a thriving scene.

This is only natural.

—From the few words Imagawa Yoshimoto just revealed, it can be inferred that the Imagawa family is far ahead of other daimyo due to their preparations before the revival of heaven and earth.

By now, the Imagawa clan has completely devoured its former allies, the Hojo clan, the Takeda clan, and the Satomi clan to the south.

Even most of the territory of the Uesugi clan in the north has been allocated to the Imagawa family.

The Imagawa family is now practically the rulers of the Tokaido!

The only clan capable of challenging the Imagawa clan was the Oda clan, which launched a massive westward offensive and won almost every battle.

—It's just that Imagawa Yoshimoto's voice sounds a bit strange, not like his real voice.

Judging from his complete physical attributes and his unique height when seated, Uesugi Tetsuya could easily tell that the person in the main seat was indeed himself, and definitely not a stand-in.

The very first scene within this memory sphere was fraught with mystery.

After that came a long period of preparation for the attack on Kyoto, and the possibility of the Oda clan appearing along the way.

Uesugi Tetsu felt that in the blink of an eye, the originally green leaves had changed color several times.

Autumn and winter passed in the blink of an eye, and spring arrived in the following year.

This trip to Luoyang took more than half a year of preparation.

Uesugi Tetsuya was quite pleased, because Imagawa Yoshimoto had not underestimated the former fool from Owari.

However, at the same time, Uesugi Tetsu also discovered something strange—

Ii Naomori saw Imagawa Yoshimoto less and less frequently.

Even in the spring, when hunting was in full swing, he did not see this ambitious and talented ruler, who was in the prime of his life, for a whole month.

Uesugi Tetsu could sense a hint of unease rising in Ii Naomori's heart.

Until we started going to Luoyang.

Naomori Ii believed that the move to Kyoto would most likely succeed.

Because the Imagawa clan's overall combat strength and koku count were indeed much stronger than the Oda clan's, and Imagawa Yoshimoto also regarded the Oda clan as a formidable enemy, he made many specific preparations.

There's no reason for us to fail this time in Luoyang.

Until they arrived at Okehazama.

Tens of thousands of troops passed through Okehazama and naturally encountered Oda's army lying in ambush there.

Ii Naomori remained calm, knowing that his side had a very high chance of winning and that his main camp was very safe.

Oda's army?
It's just a small pebble blocking the way; just kick it away.

So they wanted to break through.

But just as he was thinking this, Okabe Motonobu suddenly appeared behind him and pressed him down.

"My lord has passed away."

"Ugh?"

Not only was Ii Naomori stunned, but Uesugi Tetsuya, who was watching this memory, was also stunned.

Stunned, bewildered, and puzzled.

The sudden news caused Ii Naomori's mind to freeze for a moment.

After a long while, a strained sound finally emerged from the torrential rain.
"why?"

Just a few days ago, Yi Yuan Gong was standing in front of everyone, shouting "Go to Luoyang!"

Motonobu Okabe did not answer.

But Ii Naomori could vaguely hear Okabe Motonobu's cold, knife-like whispers, squeezed out from between his teeth.

"If only that guy were here... He deceived me, and then he deceived our lord, dashing our lord's hopes..."

At the end of her words, a hint of hatred crept in.

Snapped.

My memory was interrupted on that rainy night.

What happened next was probably the same as the history I had witnessed.

After losing the Battle of Okehazama and failing to advance on Kyoto, the Imagawa clan was divided up, and Matsudaira Motoyasu, who had endured this for so long, got the biggest piece of the spoils.

Then history went back to normal.

Uesugi Tetsu opened his eyes and remained silent for a long time.

—Imagawa Yoshimoto died of illness without any apparent reason.

Even Ii Naomori was baffled.

On Wikipedia, there's even information that the "truth" Ririko knew wasn't actually made up.

There was no possibility of assassination, because Hattori Hanzo was by Imagawa Yoshimoto's side—and with the Imagawa family at the height of their power and about to march on Kyoto, Matsudaira Motoyasu had no need or reason to betray them.

Because the timing was terrible.

Otherwise, how did the nickname "Old Turtle" come about?

Moreover, Okabe Motonobu's expression and tone didn't seem fake...

Therefore, the fact that "Imagawa Yoshimoto suddenly passed away" is undeniable. However, there are still many strange things within the memory sphere.

Uesugi Tetsuya sighed deeply as he recalled Okabe Motonobu's last words.

If I had been there back then, would things have been different?
Unfortunately, he won't have a chance to find out until the seeding battle is over.

After casually reading the remaining memory orbs, Uesugi Tetsuya, still immersed in the first memory orb, faced his opponent in the third round.

The opponent was a powerful demon whose identity was unknown, and whose skills were both high and strong, so Uesugi Tetsu naturally lost.

Then, Uesugi Tetsu used up his second life and, as he had predicted, appeared at the point where he had passed the second round of the competition.

This single life wasn't enough to defeat the opponent; he only won twelve cards, roughly half the total.

"If we want to get through this, it will probably take another two or three days."

After jumping out of bed and stretching, Uesugi Tetsu heard Ririko returning from downstairs.

……

late at night.

"This is Matsudaira's Edo Castle... oh wait, it should be called Tokyo now?"

The tall woman, who had walked along the railway tracks, looked up and saw the neon lights in the distance illuminating the night.

She was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, quite out of place, and was looking around and into the distance with a sense of wonder.

"Next... are we going to Shinjuku? Do we need to buy a map? Where can we buy a map for this era?"

Even as the tall woman muttered to herself in confusion, she didn't look for the few passersby who were walking by in the distance.

— Avoid talking and communicating with people as much as possible.

This was the request that Motonobu Okabe received before he boarded the train and arrived in the present world.

Anyway, her hearing is excellent, and she can continuously gather information just by relying on this skill.

Speaking would only make it easier to reveal one's identity.

Having deliberately avoided becoming a demon, Okabe Motonobu, who was able to come to the mortal world, began to walk towards the depths of Tokyo, one of the largest cities in the mortal world.

This time, she only needs to figure out two things.

First, to personally confirm whether the Tosei Train will appear within the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Secondly, it was a task personally assigned by the lord.

—Go and confirm the news about the current Onmyoji "Che".

"Che..."

The cold, gloomy voice was uttered unhappily by Okabe Motonobu, who then stopped upon seeing the oden food cart by the roadside.

"Anyway, let's eat first."

……

"Riri, did anything happen to you today?"

After sparring with Yagyu Akira a couple of times, leaving him deep in thought, Ririko turned to stare at him for a while before asking a question.
"Have you met my older brother?"

How can you tell that at a glance?

Uesugi Tetsuya, impressed by the clarity and power of his swordsmanship, shook his head: "I can't hide it from you."

Ririko asked again, "Tokugawa Motoyasu... that old man is here too, right?"

"Yes." Uesugi Tetsu didn't hide something that couldn't be kept secret.

Ririko's gaze turned cold for a moment: "Did the old man say or do anything to you?"

"No."

"That's alright." Ririko gently closed her eyes, her tone indifferent. "In the end, it's still a family matter."

Uesugi Tetsuya naturally understood the meaning behind those words—since it was a family matter, it wouldn't be appropriate to involve outsiders, namely himself.

Conversely, the same applies.

While pondering this question in his mind, Uesugi Tetsuya asked the question he had asked earlier: "Ririko, what's your relationship like with your older brother?"

Ririko remained silent for a while, only replying when Yagyu Akira unleashed his twenty-sixth sword strike.

"He was alright. He used to secretly bring me gummy candies when we were little, but my older brother and I haven't seen each other for many years..."

Who knows what he's become now, or what he's thinking?

Ririko paused, then suddenly leaned closer and nudged Uesugi Tetsuya with her elbow: "Did he tell you, Uesugi-kun, to sneak away with me?"

Uesugi Tetsu blinked: "You know that?"

"Because when he was little, he told me that he would secretly take me away from the Tokugawa family."

Ririko covered her head and sighed, "It's clearly a meaningless and impossible thing."

Is this acceptable?
Haha, that's truly invincible.

Uesugi Tetsuya kept a straight face, but he couldn't help but laugh inside.

—To give up most of the rights of being the eldest son of the Tokugawa family, and even say this to Ririko herself... God knows how much courage that took.

Although it is indeed highly unlikely that it can be done, at least it has been done in Tokugawa Ryuji's mind.

It's likely that Tokugawa Ryuji and Tokugawa Hoshi, Ririko's eldest brother and third sister, were the only two family members she recognized in the Tokugawa household.

Ririko's answer also suggests that she might not appreciate Tokugawa Ryuji's kindness.

Just like last time, the answer will remain the same this time.

That concludes the Q&A session regarding the Tokugawa clan.

Uesugi Tetsu could understand the implication in Ririko's words, and the latter also knew that Uesugi Tetsu could understand them.

Once you understand the other person, everything else is self-evident.

"By the way, why hasn't Tamamo returned yet?"

"She said she wanted to play with her sister and would stay overnight at the Special Affairs Office."

After using up the person who changed the subject, Uesugi Tetsu, as usual, suggested that they practice in the evening.

Riri nodded happily.

Still guided by close-range force, coupled with the cultivation of breathing techniques to refine flesh and the Five Thunder Technique, Yagyu Chi still wielded his sword alone ten meters away without looking to the side.

[Embrace the Elixir (10/100) → Embrace the Elixir (12/100)]

[Your skill, Coronal Breathing proficiency +88! ]

[Your skill, Five Thunder Method: Qi Combination Proficiency +12!]

This is the result of this short night.

……

The next morning, Ririko went out to play in the winners' bracket of the seeding battle, while Yagyu Akira remained in the first-floor dojo, honing his skills and conserving his energy.

Everything was proceeding in an orderly and methodical manner.

After a good nap, Uesugi Tetsuya went to the rooftop, where he took the ash from the calming incense while bathed in sunlight, and entered the black space to comprehend the Lin character technique.

We must fill this remaining progress bar to its maximum!

After an unknown amount of time, the ancient and elegant "临" character, a masterpiece of silver light, filled Uesugi Tetsu's entire field of vision!

A gentle force propelled his spirit out of the black space.

Slightly exhausted and feeling a bit dizzy, Uesugi Tetsu raised his right hand and saw the solidified marks on the back of his hand.

A gleaming silver notification popped up before my eyes.

[Your mastery of the "Lin" technique has reached 10%! You have entered the next stage!]

Uesugi Tetsu brought up the control panel.

【The Secret of the Character "Lin"】

Mastery level: 10.003%

[Because your mastery of the "Lin" character technique has reached 10%, the effectiveness of your "Lin" character technique has been enhanced!]

[Because your mastery of the "Lin" technique has reached 10%, the cost of using the "Lin" technique has been greatly reduced!]

[Because your mastery of the "Lin" technique has reached 10%, you have achieved a new effect!]

[Because your mastery of the "Lin" technique has reached the next stage, the difficulty of comprehending the "Lin" technique has increased!]

(End of this chapter)