I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 144: The sickly ghost in the coming-of-age ceremony, this is the wise master! (7k, asking for monthly tickets)

What does this mean?
I'm leaving it half-finished on purpose to keep you in suspense, right?

Uesugi Che pondered for a moment, but still couldn't figure out the reason from the existing clues.

So he opened the lid of the tea can filled with a large amount of matcha, put his small tea scoop into it, and mercilessly threw a large spoonful of matcha into his tea bowl.

——You don’t like to explain things clearly. Look, I’m secretly drinking your matcha!

——In fact, Uesugi Tetsu just wanted to try out whether the slight increase in his willpower attribute was due to the matcha or because the person who made the tea was "Ii Naomori".

Bai Shi, who was sitting next to him, opened his mouth.

Before he finished the first bowl, he saw his boss without saying a word, mix another bowl of tea full of foam, and then pour it into his mouth like a cow.

With the idea that it would be a waste if he didn't drink it, Bai Shi gulped down the slightly hot strong tea in one gulp, and his eyes couldn't help but shine for a moment.

For a traditional wanderer like him who can't eat any flavorful food all year round and whose mouth is full of tasteless food all year round.

This delicious strong tea is a one-of-a-kind drink that immediately helped him recover a large amount of san value!
However, after drinking it, Bai Shi still looked around cautiously, and quickly leaned over to Uesugi Tetsu's ear and whispered,

"Boss, she's keeping us two here on purpose. Will she use the cup as a signal to have a large number of warriors suddenly rush out and cut off our hands and feet so we can play with them?"

Bai Shi shuddered with a chill: "I always feel that the way those warriors I met just now looked at me is not right..."

I don't feel that way at all.

After hearing this, Uesugi Tetsu glanced at Shiraishi's tattered clothes, pants, straw sandals, and his messy hair that looked no different from weeds.

He thought that was probably the problem.

Uesugi Tetsu smacked his lips, confirmed that the matcha had no magical effect, put down the tea bowl, and wiped it clean with a cloth placed beside it.

"You're too sensitive, Shiraishi."

"Boss, this isn't sensitive at all." Bai Shi grabbed his sleeve with his clean hands and swallowed hard before saying, "Because I've experienced this before."

As if afraid that Uesugi Tetsu wouldn't believe him, Shiraishi quickly and quietly told him his experience.

Bai Shi explained in great detail, as if these things had happened just yesterday.

To put it simply, it was one winter long ago, when he and a few childhood friends had just finished their apprenticeship in a remote village in Iga Junior High School (actually, there was no extra food for them to eat).

Bai Shi and his friends all wanted to make a living in the city with the skills they had learned, so they took some food and a few dozen coins and traveled together to the nearest big city.

Unfortunately, the reality is very skinny.

Although they were lucky not to encounter robbers on the way, they encountered a gang of pickpockets who stole their money without anyone noticing.

After persisting for more than half a month, the food rations of several people had been eaten up, and the method of begging for food by so-called skills also failed due to a combination of various factors.

If this continues, several people will freeze to death or starve to death on the streets.

The only solution left was to send the two good-looking girls among them to the whale house to earn some extra money to get through the winter.

At this moment, a passing lady from a government family happened to notice their presence.

Bai Shi paused here and asked, "Boss, guess what happened next?"

Uesugi Tetsu recalled what Shiraishi had said and replied, "She thought you guys were an eyesore and ordered her samurai guards to chop you all down."

"Do not."

Shiraishi shook his head.

His eyes were hazy, as if he had returned to that winter when the sun was cold and without warmth. "She smiled and brought us all back to her own house, personally provided food and shelter for us."

“He’s as kind as a god.”

"That's great, isn't it?" Uesugi Tetsu was a little confused about what Shiraishi was talking about. "You survived that winter because of that young lady, right?"

"In a sense, yes."

Bai Shi vigilantly watched every figure passing by the door, and then continued in a low voice,
"But don't you think this is too abnormal, Boss? We are just pariahs and stray dogs on the roadside. How can we deserve such treatment?"

Uesugi Tetsu silently turned his head and looked at Shiraishi who was clutching the corner of his clothes.

"Boss, you know I can't sit still, so even if I'm taken in, I always want to go out for a walk."

Bai Shi said hoarsely: "So I survived."

"As for my brothers and sisters, I saw them being tied up and dragged away by burly warriors. Then, they were used as 'new toys' by the young lady of the public family and played with at will."

Shiraishi stared intently into Uesugi Tetsu's eyes and said, "Her actions are far more cruel and evil than you can imagine, Boss."

Is there really such a thing?

I can only say...it's worthy of the Warring States period, a chaotic era where people eat each other.

Uesugi Che narrowed his eyes.

If Bai Shi had experienced this kind of thing personally, then his current worries would indeed be justified.

Shiraishi lowered his head: "I just feel that... this guy pretending to be Ii Naomori is too nice to us, so nice that it's a little abnormal."

He silently fiddled with the tea bowl with his fingers: "I don't want you, a relatively good boss, to die inexplicably, so I reminded you."

"No need to worry about such things."

Uesugi Tetsu shook his head.

He met Bai Shi's questioning gaze and assured her calmly but powerfully, "Because I'm very strong, stronger than everyone you've ever met combined."

"I can call the wind and rain, control lightning, summon shikigami, and I can also draw my sword and become the world's best swordsman."

His eyes were bright and sharp, and then he gently patted the back of Bai Shi's extremely cold hand.
"But thank you for your reminder."

Uesugi Tetsu smiled at the dazed Shiraishi and said, "Shiraishi, thank you for worrying about me."

"Oh……"

He quickly pulled back his stiff palm, turned his head and muttered to himself, "Stupid boss, what's the point of thanking me for this?"

Bai Shi was just about to pay more attention to the movements outside the house, but suddenly he found a bowl of strong tea with white foam in front of him. It was obvious that the tea maker's skills were very poor.

"Would you like some? It sounds like your throat is dry."

Shiraishi took the tea bowl with both hands without saying a word, and without caring about the heat, he drank it all up in one gulp.

After drinking, he was about to say thank you casually, but he heard Uesugi Che snap his fingers.

"Since I know the precautions and have rested enough..."

Uesugi Tetsu clapped his hands and looked expectantly at the child who was still wiping tea stains from the corner of his mouth. "Then, Shiraishi, why don't you take this opportunity to try out my new teaching method?"

During the time when Shiraishi was talking about his past, Uesugi Tetsu felt that he had accidentally discovered Shiraishi's true talent.

——Graphic memory, or the memory of visual things.

Maybe Bai Shi has a poor understanding of words.

But he could remember the city's planning and layout from who knows how long ago with incredible clarity, even down to the precise time he saw several people and what was around them.

In that case, Uesugi Tetsu thought - wouldn't it be enough for me to perform the movements for him to observe, and then let him imitate directly?

No need to understand, just copy the answers!

The only thing to worry about now is whether Bai Shi’s observation ability is strong enough.

——Uesugi Tetsu demonstrated a brief operation of the Qihe technique in front of him, and then asked, "Do you remember it?"

“This doesn’t seem difficult.”

Bai Shi thought about it for a few seconds, then began to imitate.

Then, Uesugi Tetsu was surprised to find that Shiraishi had actually replicated his breathing rhythm and method exactly one to one.

"call……"

Two or three minutes later, Bai Shi exhaled slightly.

He was stunned for a moment, then clenched his fist in surprise: "Boss, my strength seems to have really increased a bit. Your method really works!"

At this moment, a prompt with a clock background popped up in front of Uesugi Che.

[The current level of influence of the world's journey on history: 0.05%.]

—I only taught Shiraishi this basic Qigong technique, and it actually changed history?!
You know, it has been so long since Uesugi Tetsu came to the Warring States Period. He purified the well girl, spread the reputation of Onmyoji, and was brought to Imagawa-kan by "Ii Naomori".

All these things did not trigger the walking timer's prompt.

But now it's triggered.

Uesugi Che waved his fingertips to close the prompt, and his eyes looking at Shiraishi had become subtle.

Bai Shi, who was immersed in the joy of becoming stronger, suddenly shuddered all over and looked at Shang Shan Che with a chill: "Hey... Boss, why are you suddenly staring at me like that? It's a bit disgusting..."

Uesugi Tetsu smiled at him and said, "I just think you have great talent. Maybe I can teach you some real skills in the future."

Hearing this praise, Bai Shi's eyes seemed to be filled with two stars. He put his hands on his hips and his nose was about to reach the sky.

He waved his hands, but there was no trace of humility in his tone: "No, no, I'm just an ordinary person, just average. It's just that you taught me this simple thing, Boss."

——Just teaching Bai Shi this one thing could change the course of history, which means that from this moment on, he should be considered a well-known figure in the history of the Warring States Period.

What if I teach him all the Qigong techniques I have learned, or get him an illustrated ninja manual from the real world?

Then, he warned Bai Shi that after he finished his studies, he should recruit disciples, and this way the teachings would be passed down from generation to generation until now. He then told the current generation that they should come to find him.

So, what changes will I see after returning to the present world?

Although it is still just a rough idea, it seems to be feasible.

Uesugi Che couldn't help but feel a little excited.

But before that——

Uesugi Tetsu looked at the maid who appeared at the door and heard her say,
"My Lords, the coming-of-age ceremony is about to begin."

Bai Shi turned his head as if in response to the pressure, and his eyes immediately became alert and resistant, but when he saw that there was only a maid, he clicked his tongue and lowered his head.

Uesugi Tetsu stood up and glanced at Shiraishi who was still sitting: "Don't you want to come together?"

"I……"

Bai Shi opened his mouth and remembered the knife-like disgusted looks cast at him by the sporadic warriors who passed by when he just came in.

If it was a coming-of-age ceremony, the number of warriors like this around would probably be dozens or even hundreds of times higher.

Shiraishi got goosebumps just thinking about it.

But before he could say anything more, Uesugi Tetsu pulled him up from the ground. "There are so many people at this ceremony. Are you afraid that a samurai will draw his sword and chop you down right away?"

"Moreover."

Shiraishi saw Uesugi Tetsu's voice coming from the front.

"——If someone draws a sword, I can just chop him down first."

……

Uesugi Che opened the door and saw a maid bowing to him.

He asked, "Where is Lord Ii?"

The maid seemed to be surprised by his name, so she thought for a moment before answering, "Lord Ii should already be waiting outside the Hiroma for the ceremony to begin." "Then please take me directly to the Hiroma. This is my first time here and I don't know the way."

"As ordered."

The maid kept her head bowed in utmost respect until she turned around, then she raised her head and began to lead the way.

Uesugi Tetsu waved to Shiraishi behind him, signaling him to follow him closely.

Imagawa Hall was not very big, so within two minutes, Uesugi Tetsu followed the maid who was not walking very fast to the edge of the so-called "Ohiroma".

Even through the wall, Uesugi Tetsu could clearly hear the conversations of many samurai, and even the slight collision sounds of almost the same number of sword handles.

He was a little puzzled. How could Imagawa Yoshimoto allow spectators to bring swords with them during his coming-of-age ceremony?
Isn’t he afraid that these people will rush up and chop him up?

"My lord, I can only lead you here."

The maid stopped and retreated to the wide-open hole in the wall. "Go out from here and turn right to reach the Imperial Palace. Please walk the rest of the way alone, my lord."

"Thank you."

After thanking the maid, Uesugi Tetsu let Shiraishi hold the corner of his robe before taking a step - to prevent the little kid from getting lost in the crowd.

After only a dozen steps, Uesugi Che's eyes suddenly opened up.

There was a lot of noisy conversation going on.

Looking up, all you see are samurai with tachi swords on their waists, their hair styled in different styles, and wearing narikitai (formal dress for samurai) with their respective family crests printed on them.

Further away, in the middle of the magnificent and golden Imperial Hall sat a straight figure - that was probably the protagonist of this coming-of-age ceremony, Takechiyo, the future Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Uesugi Tetsu stared at the boy's round, serious face and jokingly said in his heart, "It turns out that old Tokugawa was quite cute when he was a child."

——But this face does look ordinary, not like the material that can be used as a master in the world!
On both sides sat samurai and civil officials whom Uesugi Tetsu did not recognize, probably key officials of the Imagawa clan.

The most eye-catching thing was the old man sitting in the deepest part of the Imperial Hall. His hair and beard were all white, his skin was withered, but he still looked energetic and had an imposing aura.

Shiraishi's voice immediately rang out from behind him: "Taihara Yukisai, Boss, that white-haired old man must be Taihara Yukisai, the military strategist known as 'Imagawa's Right Arm'!"

Taiyuan Xuezhai.

Uesugi Tetsu had an impression of him because the encyclopedia said that it was his death that led to Imagawa Yoshimoto's failure in Okehazama.

Uesugi Che stared at him for a while and found that the old man was indeed dying. If he continued like this, it would be a blessing from God if he could live for half a month.

The fact that he can still sit here must be due to him holding on to his last breath.

Uesugi Tetsu was about to look away, but he found that Taiyuan Xuezhai was looking at him from a distance of hundreds of meters.

He was slightly startled and nodded towards the latter.

Taiyuan Xuezhai showed no reaction and remained silent, maintaining his completely unfathomable majesty and appearance.

Suddenly, Uesugi Tetsu felt his robe being pulled tighter again.

Bai Shi's mutterings came like a barrage of bullets.
"The Asahina clan of the Imagawa family, the Okabe clan, the Ibara clan, the Miura clan of Totomi, the Matsudaira clan of Mikawa, and the Takeda clan and the Hojo clan who are allied with the Imagawa family... Ugh! Why did the Uesugi clan send people here too!?"

When Uesugi Tetsu heard his own surname, he blinked, and then realized that Shiraishi was probably talking about the Uesugi clan of the "Dragon of Echigo" Uesugi Kenshin in the Warring States Period.

But isn’t the Uesugi clan in a hostile relationship with the Imagawa, Takeda, and Hojo clans?
Before Uesugi Che could figure out the reason, a questioning voice suddenly came from not far away in his direction.

"This attire... Could it be that you are the recently famous Onmyoji Che?"

As soon as these words came out, the originally noisy surroundings suddenly became quiet, and then this silence spread as if triggering a chain reaction.

In less than half a minute, the entire area outside the hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and there was no more unnecessary conversation.

Even Takechiyo, who was sitting motionless in the hall, couldn't help but turn her eyes and look at him who stood out from the crowd with his height.

Feeling countless gazes falling on him in an instant, Uesugi Che raised his eyebrows.

——Why does it seem like most people here know me?
How many days had it been since he asked the villagers of Youdu Village for help?
My reputation is spreading too quickly, it's almost abnormal.

Could it be that the title "Onmyoji" was so useful during the Warring States Period?
Takeda Yoshinobu said this subconsciously and looked around. He didn't expect that his words would have such a terrible impact.

At this point, he had no choice but to step forward and said with a smile: "Nice to meet you, Master Che. I am Takeda Yoshinobu of the Takeda family."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Che."

Just as Uesugi Tetsu nodded to Takeda Shingen's eldest son, he heard the sound of conversation starting to rise around him.

"Onmyoji? I think he's just a clown trying to attract attention. How can there still be an Onmyoji in this world?"

"Whether he is an Onmyoji or not, you'll find out when he takes my blow later."

"And what's that following behind him? A pariah? How can a pariah get close to Imagawa Mansion? What bad luck!"

There were also voices of dissatisfaction from women.

"Disgusting! I'm about to vomit just by smelling the odor of that untouchable..."

"Hurry up and kick that untouchable out! As for Master Che, he can stay, hehe."

After a brief silence, endless malice surged like a tide towards Uesugi Tetsu and Shiraishi at the edge of the hall.

Bai Shi's body trembled, and only after he lowered his head did he dare to reveal his anger and fierce murderous intent.

He clutched Uesugi Tetsu's palace robe tightly and murmured guiltily: "I'm sorry, Boss, I shouldn't have come with you..."

Then he began to mutter some unclear dialect to himself, probably about how to kill these warriors in the future.

Even Takeda Yoshinobu, who was talking to Uesugi Tetsu, was made to look stiff by the waves of gossip, almost making him want to cut ties with him right away.

Uesugi Tetsu was neither happy nor sad. He looked around and carefully sensed everyone's strength before shaking his head in disdain.
"A mob..."

Although the warriors around him did not understand the meaning of these words, the sarcasm in them was almost obvious.

So immediately, a burly warrior who had practiced breathing techniques glared at him: "You monster! How dare you say that again!"

"—What if I say it again?"

The warrior from the Totomi Iio clan turned around abruptly upon hearing this, his eyes widening as he shouted, "Stand out!"

Then someone stepped forward.

At the other end of the square, which was several steps higher, two rows of warriors wearing black armor but without swords silently lined up on both sides, clearing a wide path through the crowd.

Then, maids spread out brightly colored plush carpets one by one, connecting the stairs directly to the hall of the Imperial Palace.

Under the gaze of the Iio clan samurai, Imagawa Yoshimoto, wearing tall wooden sandals and an extremely elegant and luxurious twelve-piece robe, with a cold and noble temperament, stepped onto the carpet.

She looked at the burly warrior from a distance of several dozen meters and said in a cold voice, "Now, I stand up."

No one answered.

The moment the warrior saw her, he shrank into the crowd, lowered his head like a quail and trembled all over, hoping that Imagawa Yoshimoto had not remembered his appearance.

"You're just a bunch of idiots who only dare to gossip behind people's backs..."

Imagawa Yoshimoto withdrew his gaze indifferently.

After a moment, she looked down at everyone in the square and announced loudly to them, "Mr. Che is Yiyuan's distinguished guest. If you have any opinions or dissatisfaction with him, you may as well speak directly to Yiyuan now."

The girl with cascading black hair said this and stood on the steps for a long time, scanning everyone's face as if she was inspecting her territory.

There was dead silence in front of the Imperial Palace, and no samurai or noble dared to look her in the eye.

Everyone was silent and dared not answer.

Only Uesugi Tetsu rubbed his eyes and stared blankly at the cold and arrogant young daimyo wearing a twelve-piece robe. He had never expected that he would meet "Ii Naomori" again in this way.

No?

Let’s not talk about the feminization or anything like that…if she is really Imagawa Yoshimoto, then the difference between her and the one I have in my mind is too big!
The former treats people peacefully and cares about people's livelihood. Although he is cultured and well-educated, he does not make any unnecessary demands on others.

As for the latter, apart from his political achievements, he has nothing but shortcomings.

Apart from the fact that both of them are called "Imagawa Yoshimoto", are there any similarities between these two people?

And if she is indeed Imagawa Yoshimoto, doesn't that mean that this girl who is about 1.4 meters tall is the legendary number one archer in Tōkaidō, the only daimyo in the world with a fortune of one million koku?
Only then did Uesugi Tetsu realize what she meant by "surprise" she had said to him before.

Bai Shi behind him was also stunned, finding it unbelievable.

—While this woman certainly looks impressive, how could Imagawa Yoshimoto be so incredibly beautiful?! A woman could become a daimyo?!
Moreover, she looked not much older than me, and she had been so gentle to a commoner like me before...

For a moment, Bai Shi felt indescribable frustration.

He was panting, not daring to look at the dazzling Imagawa Yoshimoto anymore, and instead hid his head under Uesugi Toru's robe.

In the silence, Imagawa Yoshimoto deliberately paused for a moment when his gaze turned to Uesugi Toru, then raised the corners of his lips slightly towards him and smiled for a moment.

pat, pat, pat.

The only common owner of the three countries of Suruga, Totomi, and Mikawa took a step and walked on the carpet that only she was qualified to touch.

The dull sound of wooden shoes hitting the carpet echoed step by step.

Halfway through, the toes of a Mikawa samurai accidentally crossed the edge of the carpet and almost touched the edge of Imagawa Yoshimoto's twelve unlined robes.

Imagawa Yoshimoto stopped and then shifted his gaze indifferently.
"Get down on your knees and get out of my sight."

The warrior hurriedly thanked him, then immediately knelt down and crawled away.

In contrast, when Imagawa Yoshimoto was about to reach the end of the carpet, he turned around and stepped onto the floor tiles that were not covered by the carpet.

The warriors along the way were pushed to both sides by the black-armored warriors, whether they wanted to or not.

But no one dared to complain.

Then, at the end of this specially cleared road, the figure of Uesugi Tetsu appeared.

Imagawa Yoshimoto walked over and came in front of Uesugi Tetsu, not caring at all that his twelve-piece robe was stained with dust.

She raised her head and nodded slightly to Uesugi Tetsu, "I am truly surprised that Your Excellency Tetsu has taken the time to attend this coming-of-age ceremony."

Her words and the hint fell together.

[The current level of influence of the world's journey on history: 0.15%.]

Uesugi Tetsu stared quietly at the black-haired girl in front of him who had transformed from the young lady or maid he had imagined into a daimyo, and he had no idea what to say.

Damn, these history books and encyclopedias are full of crap.

If he had known earlier that Imagawa Yoshimoto was a daimyo whose minor flaws could not completely overshadow his strengths, he should have adopted another plan!

But in this case, choosing to follow Imagawa Yoshimoto doesn't seem to be a bad option?

After all, the current time point is still much earlier than the Honnoji Incident, but it is not far from the Battle of Okehazama.

Imagawa Yoshimoto almost perfectly meets the mission requirements and also feels very compatible with him personally.

This is a wise leader.

Looking at Imagawa Yoshimoto who seemed to be waiting for him to say something, Uesugi Toru's mind suddenly changed and he had made his own decision in his heart.

He smiled at Imagawa Yoshimoto, and then looked at Taihara Yukisai in the Imperial Hall.

To be precise, it was the sickly ghost who was still lying behind Taiyuan Xuezhai, sucking his energy day and night.

Uesugi Tetsu took a deep breath and opened his blessed folding fan with a snap.

——Then, starting from this moment and this place, let’s leave our own unique mark in history!
(End of this chapter)