Under One Person: The Puppet Immortal in the Tang Sect

Cui Ming nodded and cupped his hands in greeting.

"must."

At this moment, Yagyu Muneyoshi, who was standing to the side, also spoke up.

"Yamashita-kun, the aura emanating from you... is rather peculiar."

Cui Ming's heart tightened, but his face remained calm.

"Mr. Yagyu has a good eye. I have practiced some martial arts, which may be different from those of ordinary people."

Yagyu Muneyoshi stared at him for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"I see."

He didn't press further, but Cui Ming knew that the old man must have sensed something.

The banquet continued, and the atmosphere remained lively.

But Cui Ming could sense that the way those people looked at him had a deeper meaning.

After the banquet, Yoshimura invited Choi Myung to a private room.

As soon as the door was closed, Yoshimura became respectful.

"My lord, as you have seen today, the situation in Osaka is more complex than I imagined."

The Yagyu family, the Tsuchimikado family, the Sumiyoshiya family, and those other zaibatsu—none of them are easy to deal with.

Cui Ming nodded.

“I am aware of that. But the more complicated the situation becomes, the more advantageous it is for us.”

He walked to the window and looked outside.

"The Curse-Binding Society is all-powerful in Tokyo, but it can't get anywhere in Osaka."

What does this show? It shows that Osaka's power is strong enough and united enough to make the Curse-Binding Society wary.

"If we can control these forces, it will be like planting a nail in the Curse Binding Society's backyard."

Yoshimura seemed to be deep in thought.

"My lord intends to..."

Cui Ming turned around and looked at him.

"You don't need to overthink it, just do your own thing."

I need materials now. Metals, precision instruments, rare parts—the more the better. Can you provide them?

Yoshimura did not hesitate.

"Yes, Sumitomo has plenty in their warehouses, and Mitsubishi can also allocate some. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"But all these things need to be registered. If too many are missing at once, it will be noticed by the higher-ups."

Cui Ming chuckled softly.

"Then let's take it slow, there's no rush."

Cui Ming paused for a moment, then continued.

"In addition, I need a list. All the leaders of the various factions in Osaka, their backgrounds, personalities, and weaknesses, should be collected as much as possible."

Yoshimura nodded: "Understood."

Cui Ming walked up to him and put his hand on his shoulder.

“I will stay in Osaka during this time. You continue to play your role and do what you are supposed to do. I will contact you if needed.”

Yoshimura lowered his head.

"Yes, my lord."

Back in the room, Yongen and Bailian were already waiting inside.

"My lord, how are you feeling tonight?"

Yongen asked from the side.

Cui Ming sat down and recounted what he had observed at the banquet.

After listening, Bai Lian frowned.

"That Yagyu Muneyoshi, he can sense the master's aura?"

Cui Ming nodded.

"This master swordsman's sensitivity to aura far surpasses that of ordinary people. However, he probably didn't notice anything; he just found it strange."

Cui Ming paused, clenched his right fist and placed it between his lips, thinking as he continued.

"Those two Onmyoji from the Tsuchimikado family are the ones we really need to be careful about."

Their bringing up the story of someone coming back from the dead indicates that they have noticed the unusual situation in Okayama Prefecture.

Fortunately, the Curse Binding Society is also riddled with internal conflicts, so they probably haven't figured out the situation yet.

Yongen asked.

"So what do we do next?"

Cui Ming sank into the soft seat.

"Let's rest here for a while. Bai Lian, you need to figure out a new modification method as soon as possible. Yoshimura will provide the materials; just focus on doing it."

Bai Lian nodded.

"Yes."

Cui Ming stood up and walked to the window.

Outside, Osaka's night view is brilliantly lit.

In the distance, the silhouettes of several warships can be vaguely seen at the port.

This will be his new battlefield.

Chapter 270 An Unexpected Surprise

Cui Ming realized he had miscalculated.

Before arriving in Osaka, he thought he could rest and recuperate in the city for a while.

You can also replenish the materials you've lost in Osaka Castle, research new modification methods with Bai Lian, and observe the movements of the major powers.

While we're at it, we can leave some backup plans in Osaka Castle, and once things have calmed down a bit, we can find an opportunity to take Mifukumon-in to Tokyo.

But in reality, from the second day after he checked into the hotel, he was constantly visited by visitors.

At nine o'clock in the morning, Tanaka Ichiro of the Konochi Trading Company arrived on time.

This Osaka rice tycoon personally brought gifts, saying he wanted to "inquire" about the market situation in the eastern country.

Cui Ming spent half an hour drinking tea with him, listening to his complaints about the military's control over food supplies, and finally politely saw him off.

No sooner had Tanaka left than the people from Fujita Mining arrived.

Fujita Masao was a shrewd old man in his fifties who was extremely interested in Cui Ming's escape from Hiroshima to Osaka and tried to find out about the methods of the Curse Binding Society.

Cui Ming dealt with it flawlessly, which took another half an hour.

In the afternoon, Watanabe from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company visited.

On the surface, this person came to understand the extent of the shortage of pharmaceuticals in Dongguo, but in reality, he wanted to find out the true relationship between Cui Ming and the two major conglomerates, Mitsubishi and Sumitomo.

Cui Ming dodged the question, neither denying nor admitting it, leaving him with a bellyful of questions.

In the evening, Masao Yamada of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce sent him an invitation to attend the Chamber's gathering the day after tomorrow.

Cui Ming leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.

This is only the first day.

The situation worsened the next day.

The major chambers of commerce, having somehow obtained the news, dispatched their heirs or direct representatives to visit or deliver invitations.

Some brought gifts, some brought business cards, and some brought nothing at all, just to make themselves known.

Their motives varied: some wanted to curry favor, some wanted to gather intelligence, and others were simply curious.

Who exactly is this person who can be personally greeted by two major conglomerates?

Cui Ming responded to each question with a warm smile on his face.

By the third day, even those families with extraordinary abilities could no longer sit still.

Tsuchimikado Yasunaga was the first to arrive.

That morning, Cui Ming had just seen off the son of a fabric merchant and was about to have a cup of tea.

Yongen pushed open the door and came in, saying that Tsuchimikado Yasunaga from the Tsuchimikado family, who had attended the last banquet, had come to visit.

Cui Ming was somewhat surprised.

The young Onmyoji from the Tsuchimikado family left a deep impression on him at the banquet.

Sharp-witted, direct, and extremely fixated on the idea that cursed beings could be resurrected.

But... this scion of an extraordinary family, a rising star of the island nation's nobility, is visiting so early?

Cui Ming thought that it would take at least a week before these extraordinary families and nobles would put aside their airs and arrogance and choose to contact him.

What exactly is Tsuchimikado trying to do?

Shortly after, the door was opened.

Eien led Tsuchimikado Yasunaga into the room.

When Tsuchimikado Yasunaga stepped into the room, he had a polite smile on his face, but his eyes were filled with curiosity.

"Mr. Yamashita, I apologize for disturbing you."