I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 143: The Black-haired Giant Lolita Who is Both Civil and Military Is Actually... (6.2k)

"Of course you can. Please watch over it, Lord Ii."

Uesugi Tetsu stretched out his right hand and slowly spread out his five fingers in front of the girl.

Then he held his breath and concentrated his mind, making a small red flame pop out from his fingertips. He then manipulated his spiritual power to make it dance in the air, stretching and extending.

——Finally, it transformed into the square characters "井伊" outlined with flames, illuminating the girl's dark pupils.

Then, tiny flashes of lightning spread out, coating the flaming characters with a layer of shining lightning edges.

Naomori Ii felt the slight warmth coming towards him, staring at the name that was a combination of thunder and fire, and subconsciously wanted to stretch out his fingertips to touch it to feel whether it was real or fake.

Snapped.

Uesugi Tetsu tightened his five fingers, and before the girl's fingers arrived, the "Ii" floating on his fingertips disappeared.
"This fire is no different from ordinary flames. If you touch it rashly, you will burn your hands."

Only then did Ii Naomori react.

She retracted her fingertips, embarrassedly used them to hold back the hair that fell on her forehead, and smiled.
"I'm sorry, Master Che's Yin-Yang technique is truly exquisite and his true knowledge is revealed in the subtleties. I was inadvertently mesmerized by it."

This Naomori Ii...can recognize words and has a pretty good vision.

Even for Uesugi Tetsu, it was his first time to use the basic Yin-Yang technique and the Five Thunder Technique to combine Qi and spiritual power to form such a complex shape at the fingertips.

Moreover, if he was not in the state of a four-tailed fox incarnation, he would most likely fail.

Because the spiritual power attribute is not that high, the degree of control over one's own spiritual power will not be that precise, and the Yin-Yang magic will collapse halfway through writing the words.

Uesugi Tetsu withdrew his slightly numb palm and glanced at Shiraishi, who was standing next to him and only glanced twice before looking away with no change in expression.

——This shows that Bai Shi is neither literate nor understands the importance of controlling his own power.

He probably still simply and crudely believed that more is better and bigger is beautiful, and felt that this tiny flame was nothing compared to the thunder he used to eliminate the demon two days ago.

This should be normal.

Uesugi Tetsu turned his gaze and looked at Ii Naomori, who was staring at him with a smile, holding his chest with one hand and his chin with the other.

——And the "Ii Naomori" in front of us has an abnormally broad vision.

Because he is a military general!

It's okay to be able to read.

But spiritual power is an energy that almost no one in this era can perceive, and she could recognize at a glance that he had a deep attainment in this skill...

Uesugi Tetsu thought in his heart:

This "Ii Naomori" is definitely not a simple person.

Ii Naomori stared at Uesugi Tetsu—or to be more precise, at the priest's robe he was wearing.

Because staring at someone's face and eyes for a long time without permission is very impolite.

"——No matter what, I will make him become my Imagawa Yoshimoto, or a retainer of the Imagawa family!"

She didn't even notice that her smile was a bit more exaggerated than usual. She just thought slowly in her heart, "If you don't want to become a retainer, then equal cooperation is not a bad idea."

With that move just now, Ii Naomori...

No, now we should talk about the first archer of Tōkaidō, Imagawa Yoshimoto, the only daimyo in Japan who holds a million koku of kōshū.

Imagawa Yoshimoto has confirmed that this "Che" is undoubtedly the Onmyoji who has not appeared for a long time, and his attainments in Onmyoji are definitely not low.

Such rare talents in the world should only be made friends with, and even if they cannot be used for one's own benefit, one must never make enemies with them.

And now, we can say... the one who is close to the water gets the moon first.

However, this Lord Che must have heard some false rumors about her from somewhere, so he doesn't seem to have a very good impression of her.

This is normal, it's really too normal.

Because those guys who are called daimyo but are actually weaklings are completely inferior to him in politics, economy, military, agriculture and people's livelihood.

So they could only use this despicable method to discredit herself with rumors and add a tiny obstacle on her path to becoming a worldly person.

But rumors are vulnerable in the face of reality.

She, Imagawa Yoshimoto, will use practical actions to explain to Che in front of her what kind of wise leader the real "Imagawa Yoshimoto" is!
I will never let you escape from my grasp!

After sorting out his thoughts, Imagawa Yoshimoto, his eyes curved with a smile, said, "Your Excellency Che is truly remarkable. I'm sure my master will be very happy to see you."

Uesugi Tetsu replied in a formal manner, then laughed in his heart.

——Instead of following Imagawa Yoshimoto, he might as well follow this girl in front of him whose identity is unknown but who can get full marks in all aspects.

But considering that the running clock requires him to have a greater impact on history, this choice has to be put on the back burner.

Seeing that Uesugi Toru was not very worried, Imagawa Yoshimoto was not in a hurry either.

She looked out the window at the vast expanses of uncultivated wasteland, thinking about future reclamation and taxation strategies while pondering how to make Uesugi Tetsu fall in love with her.

Well, that's right.

Hooked.

Imagawa Yoshimoto believed that in addition to interests, whether a retainer's personal charm could convince the retainers was also an extremely important factor in the relationship between the retainer and the lord.

If you only use fiefs, rewards, or benefits such as breathing methods to maintain relationships with your retainers, then such relationships will never be stable or long-lasting.

After all, "the lower class overthrows the upper class" is a tradition in the late Muromachi period.

Of course, the opposite is also true.

"Lord Ii, I'm still curious about Takechiyo who is getting married today."

Uesugi Tetsu suddenly asked, "Although Takechiyo was brought here as a hostage of his family, she was able to have Lord Yoshimoto personally perform her coming-of-age ceremony. I think she must be quite talented."

He asked, "That's why I want to ask, Your Excellency Jingi, what do you think of him?"

——First, try to find out the image of the young Tokugawa old turtle from other people's mouths to speed up your understanding of him.

If Tokugawa Ieyasu was not bad at this time, he would have an extra option to choose from in the near future.

By the way, you can also find out more about the "Four Pole Breathing Method" from him.

Although the possibility is not high, if I can learn it secretly, I can definitely combine it with my own Coronal Breathing Method to create a new super-powerful breathing method.

Uesugi Tetsu was still very interested in this.

"Takechiyo."

Imagawa Yoshimoto blinked and smiled, "Although I have an ordinary appearance, many people secretly say that I will never become a great name."

"But he is actually very courageous and determined, and has already accumulated a great deal of knowledge and wisdom at such a young age. Perhaps he will become a world-famous figure in the future."

Such a good vision?
After hearing this, Uesugi Tetsu raised the status of "Ii Naomori" in his mind again.

Because, now the old turtle Tokugawa is just about to turn twelve years old, even only twelve in his age... and he is just a hostage who was escorted to his home to threaten his family.

It can be said that the future is bleak.

It is really not easy for this girl to realize some of Tokugawa Ieyasu's potential at this moment.

Bai Shi, who was sitting in the corner, felt extremely bored listening to the conversation between the two.

But he didn't dare to move, so he could only silently fiddle with his fingernails, watching the dead grass outside replace one crop after another, feeling that winter was coming soon.

Fortunately, I met the boss this year, so I don’t have to lie on the street and freeze anymore.

……

In less than half an hour, Uesugi Tetsu could clearly hear the surroundings becoming bustling and noisy.

The carriage pulled by this warhorse is different from ordinary rabbit horses and packhorse carriages. Even if it is pulling a wooden carriage behind it, it can move much faster, let alone two war horses!
So it didn't take long for the carriage to reach the outskirts of Sunpu Castle - the entrance to the "Nanakencho" commercial district specially selected by Imagawa Yoshimoto.

Shichikencho is a free trade zone that Imagawa Yoshimoto specially designated and focused on developing in Sunpu Castle.

Every day, countless merchants from Kinai, Kanto and even Nankai trade lacquerware, swords, silk, grain, wine and other countless types of goods here.

Imagawa Yoshimoto deliberately chose to enter the city from this point because he wanted Uesugi Toru to see the prosperity of Sunpu Castle.

Let him know that "under the rule of Imagawa Yoshimoto, who was rumored to be an unforgivable criminal, there was also such a prosperous area."

Uesugi Che peeked out from the window pane with a little curiosity, and could see a dense crowd of people.

“There are quite a lot of people…”

Although the population density here is far less than that of the Shibuya-Shinjuku intersection in the modern world, it is almost the same as that of an ordinary street in Arakawa Ward.

If he turned his eyes slightly, he could see neatly arranged house numbers (stores) from one end of the street to the other, and he could also see cloth banners (billboards) with different Chinese characters written on them hanging in the air, fluttering in the wind.

It turns out that the business model during the Warring States Period was so mature.

Somewhat unexpected.

As they entered the city, the carriage slowed down, allowing Uesugi Tetsu to clearly and carefully look at every shop.

Among them, he also saw more than one blacksmith shop and rows of weapons hanging openly.

But at first glance, the gray weapons looked nothing special. If I gave them to him, he would think they took up space in his backpack, and if I sold them by weight, Shenghai might not buy them back.

There are also small shops selling grains and daily necessities. Most of these shops are clustered together, similar to real estate agencies in the modern world. Perhaps they want to create a "scale effect"?

As he watched, Uesugi Tetsu suddenly discovered something strange.

"Mr. Ii," he asked, "Why do I find that different stores use the same scale?"

Hearing this question, Imagawa Yoshimoto's lips curled up slightly: "This is naturally the result of Lord Yoshimoto's personal inspection."

"To facilitate trade between merchants and customers from all corners of the world, Lord Yoshimoto established the Suruga Scale. This standardized weights and measures, prevented shortfalls, ensured fairness, and promoted the development of commerce."

Shiraishi, who hadn't spoken in a long time, stared intently at the restaurant he had passed by, swallowing his saliva as he said, "Imagawa...sama is truly amazing in this area."

He looked back reluctantly: "I have been to many countries, but only that city of Gunye can be compared with this place."

What about Furuno Castle?

The territory of that big fool of the Oda family?

Upon hearing this, Imagawa Yoshimoto immediately retorted, "Shichikenmachi is far more powerful than that Furuno Castle ruled by that fool. In the future, I... no, Lord Yoshimoto is planning to reduce the commercial tax by another 20%."

"at the same time."

She raised a finger. "Lord Yoshimoto will also consolidate as many of those complicated taxes as possible, greatly reducing their complexity and improving the liquidity of merchants."

ha?
Is this something Imagawa Yoshimoto could do?
Uesugi Tetsu couldn't help but question this. The encyclopedia said that Imagawa Yoshimoto was a man who loved pleasure and died because of it. If he loved pleasure, he must have spent a lot of money.

But now Imagawa Yoshimoto is willing to let so much money slip through his fingers. This is too unrealistic.

Uesugi Tetsu looked at the bustling commercial district and couldn't help falling into deep thought.

——I can’t tell which one is real, I really can’t tell!

When discussing his own territory, Imagawa Yoshimoto subconsciously continued to talk about commerce and agriculture.

"As for agricultural taxation, we should maintain the status quo.

Well... this is something we have no choice but to do. Recently, Lord Yoshimitsu has discovered that the surrounding areas are ready to make trouble. If agricultural taxes are reduced, not only will military spending be reduced, but the instability in many places will also increase.

Although it is beneficial, the harm is greater.”

After Imagawa Yoshimoto finished this long string of words, he realized that Uesugi Tetsu and Shiraishi were both looking at her at the same time.

This look is saying, "How do you know so much?"

"Ahahaha... these are what Lord Yoshimoto said in the meeting a few days ago."

Imagawa Yoshimoto raised his chin and gave them a sincere smile: "I wrote down all of this word for word."

After hearing this, Uesugi Tetsu first sighed in his heart that it was not bad, and then asked,

"Mr. Ii, is it really okay for you to tell us this?"

"Of course it's fine." Imagawa Yoshimoto put his finger to his lips and smiled. "These are just some simple ideas. I don't know how much changes will be required to put them into practice, and how many difficulties will be overcome."

Uesugi Che nodded, but suddenly he caught a glimpse of several women in scantily clad clothes, exposing large areas of white skin, standing in front of a shop through the window pane.

It's not possible for a store like this to open directly on the street...

He was just about to ask Imagawa Yoshimoto what this store did, but before he could even ask, Uesugi Tetsu felt that it was a little inappropriate.

So he looked at Bai Shi.

Shiraishi looked up and exchanged glances with Uesugi Tetsu for a moment before understanding what he meant. They both tilted their heads to look outside the window pane.

Then, he turned around and whispered, "Whale House, ah Whale House, Boss, it's the place that sells extremely expensive alcohol and does that kind of thing..."

As Bai Shi spoke, his gestures changed slightly, and then he gave Uesugi Tetsu a "you know" smile.

Imagawa Yoshimoto blinked, said nothing and pretended not to see it.

Uesugi Che lightly chopped the top of the white stone with a knife at lightning speed and sighed.

He almost said, "Don't you see there's someone next to you?"

However, this also reminded Uesugi Tetsu that similar industries were not only legal during the Warring States Period, but also very developed. Sometimes even many nobles and officials would go in to seek pleasure.

Bai Shi was hit on the head for no reason, so he naturally glared back angrily.

Uesugi Tetsu also understood his eyes - "Isn't this what you asked me to say, boss!"

"You two don't have to be like this. This is just an ordinary entertainment venue."

Imagawa Yoshimoto's expression remained unchanged. She said calmly, "Most merchants arriving in Sunpu Castle have made a lot of money after traveling a long distance. It's normal to relieve some stress. It's not something to be ashamed of."

Bai Shi kicked Uesugi Tetsu's leg and whispered, "Boss, look how generous he is. And then look at you..."

Uesugi Che had indeed not expected the girl's reaction.

He originally thought that a young lady like Imagawa Yoshimoto, who was obviously from a samurai noble family, would get slightly angry when hearing such a thing, or at least look cold.

Nodding to Imagawa Yoshimoto, Uesugi Tetsu then saw several war chariots of the same extraordinary appearance driving in the same direction as them not far away.

Are these people all here to participate in today's coming-of-age ceremony?
——I didn’t expect that the old turtle Tokugawa would be so respected before he even reached adulthood.

This history of the Japanese Warring States period, with each side holding its own opinion, is indeed not credible!
……

Although the distance the carriage traveled in Sunpu Castle was short, it took longer than before entering the city.

However, no matter how slow it was, the carriage finally arrived at Imagawa-kan, one of Imagawa Yoshimoto's current residences and the place where Takechiyo was getting cummed in today.

Imagawa Yoshimoto still opened the car door first, let the two get out, and then he walked down slowly in his wooden sandals.

After seeing her get off the car, the two armored warriors who had communicated with each other and were specially placed at the side door bowed their heads to her.

"Lord Ii."

Hearing this address, Uesugi Tetsu looked back at the girl in confusion.

Could it be that she is really Naomori Ii?
Damn, it's really weird that in history, there was a big and strong man who was both civil and military, and at the same time, he had the ability to judge people to the maximum level and was also a super beautiful black-haired giant loli.

"You two, please come with me."

Imagawa Yoshimoto nodded to the two men who saluted slightly, causing the faces of the strictly trained warriors on both sides to stiffen slightly.

Without saying much, Uesugi Tetsu followed Imagawa Yoshimoto and walked into the Imagawa-kan, which was larger and more exquisite than all the other buildings he had built since entering the Warring States Period.

The well-arranged gardens, lifelike reliefs, and clever design ideas all indicate that Imagawa-kan is not the residence of a nouveau riche, but an ancient residence of the long-established Imagawa family.

However, if nothing unexpected happens, Imagawa-kan should become Tokugawa Ieyasu's "Suruga Palace" within a few decades.

Bai Shi didn't dare to say a word, and couldn't even laugh.

He always felt that everyone here was looking at him strangely, as if they were going to chop off his head with a knife if they disagreed with him.

Just follow the boss...

The two followed Imagawa Yoshimoto into a relatively deserted side hall.

Imagawa Yoshimoto opened the sliding door and smiled slightly when he saw that the tea set he had ordered before leaving was neatly arranged.

She made an invitation gesture: "Please take a seat, both of you. There is still quite some time before Takechiyo's coming-of-age ceremony begins. Please wait a moment."

The girl knelt in front of the tea set and said to the two people sitting across from her at the small rosewood table, "Before that, let me make you two a cup of tea."

After saying that, Imagawa Yoshimoto picked up the tea scoop with his index finger and thumb, and skillfully took out a spoonful of just the right amount of matcha from the antique teapot beside him.

After precisely dividing it into two portions and pouring them into two tea bowls, the girl scooped up hot water and poured it into the tea bowls along the wall of the bowl like a shining column of oil.

Then Imagawa Yoshimoto picked up the tea whisk, a wooden brush-like tool used to mix matcha with hot water.

Then she stirred the tea whisk, and in just a few seconds she made two cups of fragrant hot tea with an attractive, even color and no bubbles at all.

The whole process was smooth and flowing, without any hesitation or delay, and perfectly demonstrated to Uesugi Tetsu the charm of the tea ceremony.

If someone had told him before today that flower arrangement and tea ceremony were necessary, Uesugi Tetsu would have laughed and expressed his disbelief in his heart.

but now……

Uesugi Tetsu stared at the quiet, elegant, and highly focused girl in front of him, sniffed the rich aroma of matcha, and felt that the tea ceremony seemed to be quite good.

At least, if the "Ii Naomori" in front of him hesitated or his hands shook for a moment, he would never be able to prepare this matcha, which, at least in his opinion, was perfect.

Uesugi Tetsu couldn't help but sigh: "Tea ceremony is also a kind of practice."

Imagawa Yoshimoto was stunned when he heard this, and his smile couldn't help but rise a little: "Your Excellency Che is right."

Moreover, during the entire tea-making process, Imagawa Yoshimoto did not rigidly follow the complicated steps of the original tea ceremony.

For example, asking the two to do something, using a tea bowl to test the water temperature, wiping the tea set with a cloth, etc.

Imagawa Yoshimoto lifted his sleeves, pushed out two bowls of tea at a steady pace, then lowered his hands and bowed his head.

"please."

"Then I won't be polite."

Uesugi Tetsu nodded at her, reached out to grab the tea bowl, and after feeling the temperature was right, he poured it directly into his mouth.

Drink it all in one gulp!

In an instant, Uesugi Che felt the rich aroma of tea rushing straight to the top of his head, and the warm coolness made all five senses clear.

If a prompt could appear when the attribute was below 1 point, then Uesugi Tetsu would probably see such a prompt right now -

[Because you drank tea, Willpower attribute +0.1]

He put the tea bowl on the table and couldn't help but sigh,
“Good tea!”

Bai Shi, who was about to teach Uesugi Tetsu how to drink tea, twitched his eyebrows and thought something was wrong.

These noble warriors attach great importance to etiquette, especially the women... Judging from the generous way their boss drinks, they are bound to be furious!
But unexpectedly, when Shiraishi turned his gaze, he saw Imagawa Yoshimoto across the table saying happily,

"My pleasure."

ha? !

Shiraishi stood there as if petrified, until Imagawa Yoshimoto's gaze swept over him, then he hurriedly picked up the tea bowl and tried to put the tea into his mouth.

The girl saw his embarrassment and explained,

"—The so-called tea ceremony, at least fundamentally, is a way of making tea to please oneself and one's guests."

Imagawa Yoshimoto nodded towards Shiraishi and said, "So please don't be bound by those fixed etiquette and formalities."

Bai Shi silently put down the tea bowl in front of him and lowered his eyes, wondering why this beautiful woman was completely different from the young lady he had in mind.

Shouldn't it be like this?

At this moment, the shadow of a maid appeared at the door and bowed towards the room.

Then a voice came: "Sir, the coming-of-age ceremony is about to begin."

Imagawa Yoshimoto stopped making a second cup of tea for them, stood up and bowed slightly: "I'm sorry, Master Che, I may have to leave first."

Uesugi Tetsu: "That's reasonable."

"Sir Che, someone will come to inform you before the coming-of-age ceremony begins. Please come and watch the ceremony."

The girl twisted her waist and walked slowly towards the door, but turned back when she was about to open the door.

She put her index finger in front of her bright lips and smiled slyly and expectantly: "Please come, there might be some unexpected surprises."

The words fell.

Before Uesugi Tetsu could think or answer, the figure of "Ii Naomori" disappeared from his sight.

(End of this chapter)