I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 358 The three-year period has ended, and the Great Onmyoji Che has returned! Che-kun, everyone must die eventually, I'm just dying sooner rather than later.

"Eh? That's strange?"

Uesugi Tetsuya stared at the yellowed map displayed on the black book pages, watching the red dots on it gather together at an extremely fast speed.

This location... seems to be the Imagawa Pavilion?
Why are there so many red dots gathered at the entrance of the Imagawa Mansion, all wanting to harm Imagawa Yoshimoto?

Could it be that my declaration was too harsh and backfired, making these people want to fight to the death and besiege the Imagawa Mansion, and then use the emperor to command the princes?

Thinking of this, Uesugi Tetsu almost used his telekinesis and spiritual energy to take off.

But after staring at the "map" for a while, he noticed that the red dots had been clustered at the entrance of the Imagawa-kan for quite some time.

If these guys were willing to fight to the death, they wouldn't be swaggering around the door like this.

It's still daytime now.

Moreover, this idea itself makes no sense—even if Imagawa Yoshimoto's health was poor, it was impossible for him to be unable to stabilize his own base.

After Xiao Hei zoomed in on the map, Uesugi Tetsu discovered that in addition to the cluster of red dots, there were also scattered red dots moving rapidly towards the outskirts of Sunpu Castle.

One is still, the other is moving; one gathers, the other runs away.

Two trends.

Uesugi Tetsuya seemed to be deep in thought, and asked Karuta, "Is it difficult to expand the area further and maintain a dynamic map all the time?"

Karuta shook her head: "It doesn't involve any special beings, so it's not difficult for me."

Black Book was furious after hearing this.

— He did all the hard and tiring work himself, and this guy actually asked this crippled little god if it was difficult!
Of course she wasn't tired, and she couldn't possibly feel any difficulty!

In a fit of rage, Black Book suddenly expanded the area covered by the map by nearly half, and secretly resolved that if he ever turned the tables and became the master, he would squeeze Uesugi Tetsuya dry every day until his eyes rolled back in his head!
Uesugi Tetsuya's satisfied voice came through: "Karuta, well done."

The black book trembled slightly before falling silent.

Uesugi Tetsu had no idea that this tattered book had so many ideas. He focused his gaze on the little red dot that had already run out of Sunpu Castle and sneered.

"Now you know how to run away? Do you think you can escape?"

While stretching his body, Uesugi Tetsu said, "Karuta, help me mark a straight line from here to that red dot."

Following Karudo's response, a yellowed map flew into Uesugi Tetsu's eyes, with green and red dots connected by lines.

"very good."

Before taking off, Uesugi Tetsu thought for a moment and then conjured up the [Goryo Hannya Mask] that was not yet fully formed and put it on his face.

From now on, it's best for him to avoid showing his face in public as much as possible.

Without a sound, Uesugi Tetsu let Karuta return first, then, enveloped by his psychic power, he soared straight into the sky, spraying spiritual energy behind him as a second source of power.

In an instant, Uesugi Tetsuya's speed easily broke the sound barrier, speeding towards the target red dot at an altitude of a thousand meters.

The sonic boom echoed through the sky as Uesugi Tetsu made no attempt to conceal his presence.

Midway through, Uesugi Tetsu summoned the Two-Foot Master and hung it close to his body—being watched by the Two-Foot Master made his recovery speed faster, and his Spirit Control Technique absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth more smoothly.

Even at this high speed, it will still take some time to reach the destination.

With nothing to do in the air, Uesugi Tetsu's thoughts began to wander.

Now that we have Karuta and the Black Book, should we do something about the Demon Guide Association that has been lying in wait?
Soon, Uesugi Tetsu rejected the idea.

Even though the Demon Guide Association's influence and reputation in the mortal world are not great, it is backed by a real Aragami.

Uesugi Tetsuya is not yet someone who can afford to offend Aragami.

There might have been ghosts and spirits belonging to the Demon Guide Society during the Warring States period, so it's best not to alert them yet.

However, if the demon director is foolish enough to try to take action, then reverse infiltration will naturally be necessary.

Time flew by as he pondered how to deal with the Demon Guide Association.

Fifteen minutes later, Uesugi Tetsu arrived directly above the red dot.

A thousand meters above, Uesugi Tetsuya cast his gaze indifferently, easily spotting the darting black shadow in the forest.

He raised an eyebrow.

"A ninja? This ninja has run quite far..."

To ordinary people, this dark figure was nothing short of elusive, but to Uesugi Tetsuya, it was no different from a snail crawling.

Slow, too slow.

Without thinking further, Uesugi Tetsuya released his spiritual energy and let himself fall freely.

boom!
"Something fell down!?"

The secret ninja from the Takeda clan was startled. Using the interlacing shadows of the trees, he crouched on a branch, instantly holding his breath and lowering his heartbeat to a minimum, as if he were dead.

He was confident that even if the legendary Onmyoji Che stood in front of him, it would take him quite a while to spot him.

"Squatting here, waiting for whom?"

An unfamiliar voice appeared behind Takeda's secret ninja, but before the latter could react, a hand chop to the back of his neck sent him into a deep, baby-like sleep.

The last thing Takeda Hitoshi saw was a Hannya mask that evoked fear and resentment.

This dream is probably going to be a nightmare.

"Like you saw something... Is it really that big of a deal?"

Uesugi Tetsu curled his lip and used his internal energy to search the other party's entire body, finding a total of three poisons stored in various parts of his body.

After casually tossing the poisons into the forest, Uesugi Tetsuya used his inner energy to envelop the other person and continued on his way.

Another twenty minutes passed.

A total of eighteen men heading towards the outskirts of Sunpu Castle were knocked unconscious and arrested one by one by Uesugi Tetsuya, and then hung behind him using his internal energy.

Before it even flew into the city, it had already been noticed by sharp-eyed samurai and onmyoji, causing a stir.

These eighteen people didn't have any family crests or items that symbolized their identity... Uesugi Tetsu didn't care, he'd let Imagawa Yoshimoto handle the interrogation.

With that thought in mind, Uesugi Tetsu slowly descended from a height of a thousand meters toward the entrance of the Imagawa-kan.

They swaggered around without any attempt to hide it.

During his descent, Uesugi Tetsu could sense countless gazes being cast upon him from below.

In Junpu Castle, inside the Imagawa Pavilion, countless Onmyoji guest masters, whether passing by or recruited by the Imagawa family, looked up and sensed that unusually familiar spiritual energy fluctuation.

How could I not be familiar with it!
Just an hour ago, the owner of this vast surge of spiritual energy declared that he had annihilated the Hozuki family and announced it to the surrounding five hundred miles...

An indescribable sense of awe spread through the hearts of the Onmyoji.

Any Onmyoji who knows a little bit about the game knows that the Hozuki family is in Mikawa, but this place... is Suruga, Sunpu Castle!
How could Che possibly cross such a long distance in such a short time?

This is... the Great Onmyoji, Che.

At this moment, even the most disbelieving and disdainful Onmyoji lowered their heads and dared not look again.

If you provoke such a being, you might not even see the sun the next day, let alone the moon tonight!
In contrast, the Imagawa-kan was bustling with activity again, something it hadn't done in a long time.

"Look, look! Isn't that Lord Che?"

"Lord Che can fly!?"

"It really flew down from the sky... Am I dreaming...?"

The samurai and maids of the Imagawa family were bursting with excitement.

Even the retainers, who had weathered many storms and were now adept at concealing their emotions, couldn't help but smile.

It turned out that what the Lord said was true, and that He had never lied to them.

The former great Onmyoji Che left the Imagawa family temporarily to travel and become stronger.

Upon his return, even before his official comeback, he had already slaughtered the entire Hozuki family.

That's an ancient family of Onmyoji (yin-yang masters).

Even throughout the world, he is renowned!

Amidst the hustle and bustle, Imagawa Yoshimoto calmly looked up and, through the gap between the windows, clearly saw that familiar figure and that ferocious, vengeful face of the Goryo Hannya.

Even though her body was so weak, her eyes remained sharp.

"Yuanxin, help me up."

She said softly, and was carefully helped up by the equally excited Motonobu Okabe.

Imagawa Yoshimoto stared at the twelve-layered kimono that had been sitting in the corner for a while, then silently looked away and then at another set of lighter clothing.

"Give me that set."

At this moment, at the main entrance of the Imagawa-kan.

"No wonder there were so many people blocking the gate... Turns out they didn't realize they were wrong, they knew they were going to die and rushed over to kneel, pray, and beg for mercy."

The mocking voices accompanied the eighteen unconscious prisoners as they slowly fell, causing some of the people kneeling on the ground to change their expressions slightly.

Uesugi Tetsu didn't care.

Anyway, these people are all red dots, so even if there's a minor change, or a major change, they can't escape.

The black-armored guards of the Imagawa family were initially startled upon seeing the masked man, but then breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the crimson scabbard at Uesugi Tetsu's waist.

The great Yin-Yang Master Che wore a vermilion scabbard at his waist, inside which was a spirit sword.

This is common knowledge among everyone at the Imagawa Museum.

Before two minutes had passed, Uesugi Tetsuya saw the door slowly open, and a very familiar figure walked out from the center.

Even without him saying a word, he could recognize him at a glance.

Imagawa Yoshimoto.

But her face was covered by an exceptionally cold and stern mask, revealing nothing except for her deep, dark eyes.

After a moment of staring at each other, Uesugi Tetsu used his inner energy to pull the kneeling people to their feet, then raised his voice slightly so that all the onlookers could hear him.
"Lord Yiyuan, those who have risen are all threatening individuals; behind me are the intelligence spies and thieves who just attempted to escape. What should we do with them?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto waved his hand without the slightest hesitation, his voice cold.
“Drag them all into prison for interrogation; those who refuse to answer will be beheaded.”

The question and answer exchange chilled the hearts of the samurai and onmyoji who were watching from afar and spying on the scene.

Such trust...

Even if the great Yin-Yang Master Che turned around and said they were guilty, they would have no way to refute it!

After the Black Armor Army dragged away all of Uesugi Tetsuya's chosen men and drove away the rest, Imagawa Yoshimoto waved his hand behind him.

"Everyone, disperse. There's no need to make a fuss."

Her voice was as calm and reassuring as it had been in every previous meeting: "I've said it before, Che will come back."

The crowd dispersed amidst suppressed whispers, leaving only Imagawa Yoshimoto and Okabe Motonobu, who was taking deep breaths beside her with a somewhat complicated expression.

"Your Excellency Che, please come in."

Imagawa Yoshimoto beckoned to him, then waved to Okabe Motonobu beside him: "Motonobu, Lord Tetsu and I have something to discuss." Okabe Motonobu was slightly taken aback, a hint of reluctance showing in his half-open eyes.

But she didn't say much: "Then, my lord... call me if you need anything."

"Don't worry, Sister Yuanxin."

As Okabe Motonobu brushed past Uesugi Tetsuya, who was wearing the Goryo Mask and was somewhat unfamiliar to her, she heard gentle words.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickened her pace to leave.

So, Uesugi Tetsu, wearing a mask, followed behind Imagawa Yoshimoto, who was wearing an iron mask, and slowly strolled along.

He noticed it the moment Imagawa Yoshimoto opened his mouth.

Her tone seemed calm and composed, no different from before... but in reality, it was extremely weak and unstable, like boundless water, and she could no longer even maintain the circulation of her inner energy.

Uesugi Tetsu sighed silently, thinking to himself that Okabe Motonobu was right after all.

He looked around and found that the layout of the Imagawa-kan hadn't changed much, except that there were far fewer people than before.

The only thing that's been added is probably the amateur Onmyoji (a type of Taoist priest) in the museum.

There are many amateur Onmyoji (yin-yang masters) in the Imagawa-kan.

It's likely that many people learned the basic Onmyōdō techniques that Imagawa Yoshimoto had traded with the Hozuki family, and after learning them, they were just able to get started.

Its strength is equivalent to that of an Onmyoji with a star rating of half a star to one star.

But those with one star or more are extremely rare; you could count them on one hand.

Following Imagawa Yoshimoto in silence back to her room, Uesugi Tetsuya, as usual, casually closed the sliding door, removed his illusory mask, and sat down opposite the small wooden coffee table.

Subconsciously, he waited for Imagawa Yoshimoto to make him tea.

When she saw Imagawa Yoshimoto struggling to kneel down, Uesugi Tetsuya suddenly realized how weak she was.

The dim sunlight filtered through the translucent window paper, casting dappled shadows on the table.

Imagawa Yoshimoto removed the iron mask and placed it in the corner, revealing his thin, pale, and exhausted face.

The slivers of sunlight reflected off the iron surface onto her paper-white skin, making it all the more obvious that her previous composed demeanor was all an act.

Uesugi Tetsuya stared at the somewhat unfamiliar face, momentarily at a loss for words.

After a long while, he finally found a topic to talk about.
"How is Your Excellency Taiyuan doing now...?"

"He passed away two months ago."

Imagawa Yoshimoto answered softly.

Uesugi Tetsu almost fainted – he had completely forgotten that Taiyuan Xuezhai had passed away this year.

He could only awkwardly reply, "The Hozuki family, who did this behind the scenes, has been wiped out by me."

Imagawa Yoshimoto raised the corners of his lips, not suppressing his smile.
"Che-jun brought me such a wonderful gift as soon as he came back. I haven't even had a chance to thank him yet."

Uesugi Tetsu shook his head: "The Hozuki family cast a curse on you, Lord Yoshimoto, and it also affected Lord Taiyuan... This is just something I should do, there's no need for thanks."

Imagawa Yoshimoto stared at him and asked,
"Is the injury serious?"

"No injuries."

Uesugi Tetsu followed the answer and then saw Imagawa Yoshimoto, who was slightly taken aback.

The sickly head of the Imagawa family smiled again and said with emotion, "It seems that in the past two years, in places I haven't seen, you have experienced a lot, Che-kun."

There were no questions, only Imagawa Yoshimoto's warm words of comfort, which left Uesugi Tetsuya, who had been prepared to be scolded again by Okabe Motonobu from the Sengoku period, somewhat at a loss.

He could see that Imagawa Yoshimoto's body was even weaker than that of Ina... Clearly, this was definitely not normal.

Even when it was right in front of him, Uesugi Tetsu couldn't see any "cause of the illness".

It was as if Imagawa Yoshimoto was born so weak.

But how is this possible?
Uesugi Tetsu silently opened his 90 True Sight Eyes and looked at Imagawa Yoshimoto, who was standing close at hand.

A complex prompt pops up.

Imagawa Yoshimoto

[—A great daimyo during the Warring States period, the head of the Imagawa family, who once stood at the forefront of the revival of the world and was the first person to lead the trend of the times.]

Currently, due to unknown reasons, he is physically weak, and if this continues, there is a high probability that he will die prematurely.

Even so, with the assistance of the great Onmyoji Uesugi Tetsu, only Oda Nobunaga in this era is qualified to be her opponent.

unknown.

Even with the Eye of True Sight, it was still impossible to discern the true cause of Imagawa Yoshimoto's gradual decline in health.

"The suffering of illness..."

Uesugi Tetsu murmured those two words to himself.

Seeing his silence, Imagawa Yoshimoto didn't say anything more, but instead made him and himself a cup of tea, just like when Uesugi Tetsu first came here.

It wasn't until the steaming aroma of tea filled Uesugi Tetsuya's vision that he realized quite a bit of time had passed.

Uesugi Tetsu looked down at the green tea that had been pushed in front of him, but didn't drink it.

A moment later, Uesugi Tetsuya took out the panacea from his storage backpack and uncorked the bottle.

[Panacea]

[Quality: None]

[Effect: After ingestion, it can cure all diseases and restore the body to its optimal state for two hours.]

[Current remaining: 2/3]

Instantly, a rich, refreshing fragrance wafted out, clearing Imagawa Yoshimoto's mind somewhat.

"Che-jun, this is..."

Uesugi Tetsu poured a crystal-clear, solidified liquid into his palm and handed it to Imagawa Yoshimoto: "It's for treating illnesses, Yoshimoto-kun, please try it."

Imagawa Yoshimoto did not take it immediately, but instead asked,
"This medicine must be very precious."

“It doesn’t count for me; I have plenty more in stock.” Uesugi Tetsu shrugged. “But I only brought this much. Try it and see if it has any effect on your body.”

Imagawa Yoshimoto took the medicine with some skepticism and put it in his mouth.

In an instant, a warm feeling spread throughout her body, making her feel so comfortable that she squinted her eyes and couldn't help but let out a soft moan.

But that's about it.

The sense of weakness that enveloped Imagawa Yoshimoto still lingered.

"Chejun, my health seems to be much better."

Imagawa Yoshimoto, his expression now bright and energetic, spoke...
"thanks."

But Uesugi Tetsu knew she was lying to herself.

Even a panacea wouldn't work.

Or rather, it's only temporarily effective, but it doesn't even qualify as a "stopgap measure."

Because it's not the right treatment at all.

Perhaps only Lord Mokujin could see the reason... but He himself said that he forbade himself to see Him in this era.

We have to figure it out ourselves.

Imagawa Yoshimoto saw through his thoughts: "Let's not talk about me, let's talk about you, Che-kun."

She took a sip of tea nonchalantly and waved her hand, saying, "My health condition is basically beyond saving, and I've already accepted it. I'd be lucky to live another year."

"Accepted?"

Uesugi Tetsu lowered his eyes and said slowly, "Lord Yoshimoto, this isn't like you..."

"What if you don't accept it?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto slammed down his teacup; it seemed the elixir had indeed provided her with considerable strength.

"I've tried every method I've heard of and every method I can try... but what if they can't even find the root cause of the illness? Do they think I can just cry and make a scene to prolong my life when I'm about to die?"

"No way."

Imagawa Yoshimoto said with a light laugh,
"Tetsu, Imagawa Yoshimoto isn't so easily frightened by a death with a specific date that is destined to come."

"Since ancient times, kings and generals, virtuous scholars and exiled officials, beauties and heroes... tell me, who can escape death?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto downed the hot tea in one gulp, exhaling with a refreshing breath. It had been a long time since she had enjoyed tea so heartily.

"Humans are destined to die; I'm just dying a little earlier than others."

When Uesugi Tetsu raised his chin as if it were his own business, he said, "Someone as amazing as me is bound to be envied by the heavens. It's normal for the heavens to be jealous of talent and want to kill me."

Imagawa Yoshimoto gestured with his fingers, making horizontal and vertical lines.
"Compared to the length of life, 'depth' is more important."

"It would be better to live a decade or two longer so that future generations would find that Imagawa Yoshimoto is an unavoidable name when discussing this era."

Imagawa Yoshimoto appeared very open-minded, and she indeed did what she said she would do.

If it weren't for the boundless suffering caused by illness, the history that would have been changed—that Oda Nobunaga unified the country before it was taken over by Toyotomi and Tokugawa—would have been different.

As they were talking, Imagawa Yoshimoto frowned slightly: "Didn't we talk about Che-kun? Why is the topic still on me..."

It seems that Imagawa Yoshimoto wasn't as open-minded as she appeared.

Uesugi Tetsu thought.

Then, while drinking tea, he picked out some stories from his own experiences, adapted them slightly, and slowly shared them with Imagawa Yoshimoto.

"Oh, right, Che-kun."

After Uesugi Tetsu finished telling his story and Imagawa Yoshimoto poured more tea, she asked, seemingly casually, "Will you stay with the Imagawa family after this? How long will you stay?"

In the past, Imagawa Yoshimoto would never have asked such a question.

But she knew that her time was really running out.

Therefore, they are slowly leaving various ways out and contingency plans for the Imagawa family, for their loyal retainers, and even for the people under their rule.

This question posed to Uesugi Tetsu is also of this nature.

"Lord Yoshimoto, I will witness your passing until the very last moment," Uesugi Tetsu said solemnly. "If you have any wishes, I will help you fulfill them."

"Another point."

He says,

"Death is not necessarily the end."

The stream of water, which had been pouring down from the spout of the teapot like mercury, broke.

Imagawa Yoshimoto stopped pouring tea and stared at him blankly.

(End of this chapter)