I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 162: Mission Time Limit: 62 Days, Red Devil's Probe, Furious Imagawa Yoshimoto (6.6k)

Uesugi Tetsu didn't say much, just put his hands behind his back and followed behind Asahina Taicho who was walking with big strides.

Imagawa Yoshimoto placed his feet, which were wearing wooden sandals, on the stone bricks, making a crisp sound.

She also stood up and walked slowly along.

Asahina Tai, who was standing nearby, could see this scene with a stiff expression. The matter was already done, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

——This stubborn son has this personality, straightforward and stubborn. Once he decides on something, he will definitely do it, and no one can persuade him to change his mind!
Asahina Taineng walked to the side of Imagawa Yoshimoto, whose expression had returned to indifference. Looking at her expression, she knew that her lord was very angry.

He was about to speak, but was interrupted by Imagawa Yoshimoto who waved his hand.
"Tai Chao is indeed worried about me, and Mr. Che is very powerful... Anyway, it doesn't matter, let them have fun."

She said it calmly, causing Asahina Tai to nod silently without saying anything more, and followed the head Imagawa.

In fact, Imagawa Yoshimoto was very upset.

If someone who knew her well heard the slightly heavier footsteps, which were no longer under her conscious control, they would be able to understand her current mood.

It's just that he didn't show this irritation in front of these two retainers, father and son.

This little emotion was not enough to make her lose her composure.

——Originally, Hanzo had not yet finished explaining the events in the Mikawa region, and Che had only just begun to discuss matters related to the Jodo Shinshu sect.

I haven't even figured out the cause and effect of the riots yet, and Tai Chao came over without any warning and said that Che Jun was not capable.

Imagawa Yoshimoto paced back and forth with an expressionless face, sighing tiredly in his heart.

If only everyone could listen to me like Yuan Xin does...

As a military commander, all you need to do is simply execute the orders I give you. At the very least, you can offer some suggestions on strategy and tactics. That's the most you can do.

But now they are actually asking me what kind of retainer I recruit, caring about his qualifications, and what orders I want him to execute.

Why should they care about these things?

Not to mention that she would ponder over such details and considerations late at night and think more comprehensively. Even if she really couldn't figure it out, she could ask the teacher!
Her teacher, the Imagawa family's military advisor Taihara Yukisai, is both wise and brave, and knows much more than a simple military commander like Taicho!

Imagawa Yoshimoto was full of resentment.

She looked at the back of Uesugi Tetsu not far ahead, but felt the latter's calm mood.

Even when facing Taicho Asahina who inexplicably targeted him on their first meeting, he did not let his emotions get out of control and remained calm and gentle.

Imagawa Yoshimoto recalled how he felt when he first saw the sea.

Vast, mysterious, unknown, calm yet surging...

Mr. Che is just like the boundless ocean that can accommodate everything.

When Imagawa Yoshimoto thought of this, his inner irritation dissipated a little - because these difficulties should be insignificant to Che Jun.

As she walked, her thoughts began to wander.

——Or, after this matter is over, let’s go and talk to Che-jun in detail about the Jodo Shinshu sect and enjoy the flowers at the same time.

It is said to be flower viewing, but in fact it is to see the red maple leaves all over the mountains, because there are no cherry blossoms blooming in this late autumn season when winter is about to come.

Thanks to Imagawa Yoshimoto's long-term protection and love for natural landscapes, the scenery of Sunpu Castle in this regard can indeed be described as very good.

Imagawa Yoshimoto once again set his eyes on Uesugi Toru's empty waist.

She knew that Uesugi Tetsu knew a Yin-Yang technique called "Mustard Seed Sumeru", which allowed him to use another space to store a small number of items.

But she had been observing for so many days and seemed to have only seen a katana on his waist.

So, is there a reason for taking Che-jun to the city to buy a katana?

By the way, I don’t know whether Che Jun likes Cuju or not.

Given Chejun's physical fitness and height, if he were interested in Cuju, he would definitely be a good player.

He is a talented person who can serve as a general!

In this way, can she, Motonobu, Tetsu-kun, Komoto Yasushi and Koi-i form the new generation of the Imagawa family's keju team?
Wow.

Thinking of this, Cuju master Imagawa Yoshimoto suddenly became interested, and his previous dissatisfaction and resentment were swept away.

By then, maybe I can even have an exchange match with the Takeda and Hojo families, and by the way, I can also get some money from these two stingy guys!
She no longer worried about the Sanhe riots.

——Because Imagawa Yoshimoto didn’t think that the country samurai in the remote corner of Mikawa could cause any big trouble.

riot?

She didn't know how many riots like this she had suppressed easily, she couldn't even count them on one hand!
And now with Che Jun joining the team, it is even easier.

As for the big monster?

Haha, a mere big monster can cause unrest in an entire village or town, and kill dozens or even hundreds of unarmed civilians.

But if I wave my hand and let thousands of foot soldiers and samurai draw their swords and charge, how will this monster respond?
It would be a good thing if the so-called big demon didn’t piss himself to death after seeing this scene!

Imagawa Yoshimoto's expression suddenly changed from gloomy to bright, making Asahina Tai, who had been secretly observing her from the side, look around in confusion.

He listened to his son's conversation with Mr. Che for several sentences, but he didn't feel that anything good was happening.

Alas, I am really getting old and can’t understand the thoughts of young people.

Not only his son was like this, but also the headmaster whom he had served for a long time was like this.

Asahina Tai could sigh secretly in his heart.

……

——Uesugi Tetsu felt that the undisguised gaze from behind that kept scanning and sizing him up finally disappeared.

He thought that Imagawa Yoshimoto was probably very unhappy, otherwise she would never do such a rude thing.

Uesugi Tetsu glanced at Asahina Taicho who had started walking on his own in front of him, and said nothing more. Instead, he focused his attention on the prompt that popped up again in front of him.

[Because the main quest "Lord of Tōkaidō" was too vague and broad, we have now released stage quests based on the current situation!]

[Please complete the stage missions to improve the completion of "Lord of Tōkaidō"! ]

[Stage Mission: Sanhe Riot.]

[Task time limit: 62 days. 】

A stage task that is very suitable for the current situation.

It is this "62-day" time limit that is somewhat intriguing.

If it was two days less, or if it was simply marked as "two months", it would not be noticeable, but "62 days" is really eye-catching.

Uesugi Tetsu pondered.

Considering the four words "a big demon is causing trouble" behind the scene, the meaning of this time limit becomes clearer.

——If the Imagawa family has not suppressed the Mikawa riot after sixty-two days, something bad or even horrible related to the great demon will definitely happen.

He continued to look down.

[Mikawa Rebellion: Mikawa, Totomi, and Suruga were the three countries under the rule of the daimyo Imagawa Yoshimoto.

Among them, Mikawa is the farthest from Suruga where the Imagawa family is located, and the local powerful families have the strongest power, so unrest often occurs.

Bandits, local nobles, the Jodo Shinshu sect, Owari infiltration... the unrest was large or small, with different reasons, but it never caused any waves.

But this time, things seem to be different.]

[Mission Objective: Please suppress the riots in the Sanhe area within the mission time limit and find out the reasons and truth behind it.

The higher the completion rate of this quest, the higher the completion rate of the main quest "Lord of Tōkaidō" will be.

Well, the mission description is almost saying "This Sanhe riot is different from the previous ones."

Afterwards, I have to emphasize this to Imagawa Yoshimoto and ask her to resolve this matter as soon as possible.

As for whether she could listen to his advice, Uesugi Che was not worried at all.

——Because from the previous conversation, Imagawa Yoshimoto was a wise leader who was willing to accept advice with an open mind.

More than ten minutes later, Uesugi Tetsu followed Asahina Taicho to a remote house with plenty of sunlight but an extremely gloomy atmosphere.

Although the opening of the house's front door is small, its height and width are unusually high and wide. It is probably one of the few buildings in Imagawa-kan whose area is almost comparable to that of Ohiroma.

There is abundant greenery around and all kinds of infrastructure are available.

In the corridor, many maids who were surprised by their arrival stopped and saluted Imagawa Yoshimoto. It seemed that there were quite a few people living here normally.

Along the way, Asahina Taicho came swaggering over with the popular Onmyoji Che and Imagawa Dangshu, not too fast.

It was almost like telling everyone in Imagawa Hall who saw them explicitly that something was about to happen here.

So naturally, all the warriors and retainers who had a little status and were willing to do good things all rushed over from a distance.

It is human nature to join in the fun.

As long as they didn't do anything rude in front of Imagawa Yoshimoto, the magnanimous leader wouldn't say much.

This has always been the default.

Such a big commotion naturally attracted Bai Shi, who was eating breakfast and patiently pondering the Qigong technique.

——Let me see what’s going on!
After arriving at the Imagawa family, Shiraishi ate and bathed almost every day, and his complexion became much more rosy and handsome. He sneaked over with the crowd.

Of course, I didn't talk to anyone during that time.

Not only were there no acquaintances or friends with whom he could talk, but Bai Shi himself also didn't want to communicate much with these "gentlemen and ladies".

But when he finally found the source by following the crowd and came out to see who made such a big noise, he covered his mouth in shock.

——Boss!?
——Boss, why can’t you restrain yourself and cause trouble again!
But Bai Shi did not act rashly, but just sat quietly as a spectator.

After all, behind the boss is Imagawa Yoshimoto, who is considered his "boss"!

She wouldn't let the boss be dealt with so easily...

If Imagawa Yoshimoto just sits there and does nothing, it won't be too late for me to step in as a hero and save the boss!

Shiraishi fantasized for a moment, but finally took out a rice ball and stuffed it into his mouth.

——Instead of having such unrealistic ideas, it’s better not to cause any more trouble at this critical juncture and hinder the boss.

"My lord, please take a seat."

Although Asahina Taicho's voice was not loud, it was clear enough for almost everyone to hear.

Although there were many people present, no one made any unnecessary noise.

So Imagawa Yoshimoto nodded slightly, without saying much, lifted the hem of her long skirt with both hands, and then walked step by step to the open door of the room, facing the vacant main seat.

But she stopped in front of the small door that was only wide enough for one person to pass through, raised her hands and pushed the sliding door open to both sides.

Suddenly, the sunlight from the sky spread into the dark inner room.

It cast the shadows of the solid wooden chairs arranged in a semicircle around the center.

Without even looking up, she took the main seat and said calmly, "All of you elders should get more sun. It's good for your thinking and your physical and mental health."

There was a hoarse voice smiling and replied,

"Thank you for your concern..."

Imagawa Yoshimoto did not answer, but just lowered his eyes and fiddled with his nails, exerting invisible pressure on the group of family elders around him.

Doorway.

Uesugi Che narrowed his eyes, and in the instant sunlight filtered into the inner room, he could clearly see these so-called elders. Behind the various family crests, most were men in their forties or fifties, with hair half-black and half-silver, or even older.

The youngest among them looked to be in his thirties, at least a whole generation older than Imagawa Yoshimoto.

He had never seen this group of people at the coming-of-age ceremony.

In other words, most of them probably did not get along well with Imagawa Yoshimoto.

After a brief silence, the same hoarse old voice asked,
"I don't know where Mr. Che comes from, but I'm quite interested in this..."

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Tetsu replied without hesitation, "I have lived in seclusion in the mountains since I was young, cultivating to be closer to nature. After eighteen years of cultivation, I felt the opportunity of heaven and earth, and therefore entered the world."

In the inner room, an elder said unhappily, "I can make up such a thing. What's the difference between that and not saying it?"

The elders remained silent, which was considered as their agreement.

An elder sitting at the bottom of the seat then raised his voice, "What if this Lord Che is an undercover spy sent by the Oda clan?"

As soon as the old man finished speaking, he felt everyone's gaze in the room suddenly fell on him, making him shut up immediately, realizing that he seemed to have said something wrong.

"Sena... this is wrong." The same hoarse voice scolded, "Are you publicly accusing the master of being incompetent?"

Quiet.

After a moment of silence, the elder Nobuki Sena, who was sitting at the end of the seat, immediately bowed his head in apology and said loudly,
"I dare not! I haven't thought it through clearly at the moment..."

Imagawa Yoshimoto did not reply.

Who knows if this is just a double act of the good guy and the bad guy in front of her.

"All right."

The hoarse voice rose a degree, then knocked on the solid wooden handrail and said slowly,

"We old bones were simply not present on the day the master ceremonially inaugurated Yuankang, so we naturally harbor reasonable doubts. We hope that Master Che will forgive us."

Uesugi Tetsu also did not respond, wanting to see what these old guys could do.

Although the elder used honorifics, his tone was far from respectful; instead, it was full of contempt and disdain.

After a few seconds, another elder said with a smile,
"Since Lord Asahina has brought Lord Che here, it must mean that Lord Che has accepted the invitation to the trial."

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Tetsu raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Asahina Taicho, who had been standing beside him without saying a word.

Then, a mixture of nervousness, bewilderment, astonishment and puzzlement appeared on his tough young face.

Uesugi Che stared at him for two seconds and couldn't help laughing in his heart.

——This kid probably just realized now that he was being used as a gun!
But the trial... What kind of trial can these old bones, who are not even strong enough for him to beat with one hand, give him?
Sitting in the main seat, Imagawa Yoshimoto also blinked in confusion.

Che Jun only holds a title and is not a warrior in the true sense, so it is definitely not advisable to test his archery, riding, swordsmanship, etc.

Since the usual horse archery, dog chasing, trial beheading, and wooden sword duels are all ineffective...

So what kind of trials can these elders give?
"--If you all want to test Che, why are you hiding it?"

Uesugi Tetsu no longer paid any attention to poor Asahina Taicho, but spoke directly,
"Why not just explain this so-called 'trial' directly?"

Hearing Uesugi Tetsu's words, the elder with the old voice clapped his hands and said, "If that's the case, then carry it up."

After saying that, he squeezed out an ugly smile full of wrinkles towards Imagawa Yoshimoto who was sitting on his left.

"Master, please do not be afraid of what you see later... There is a whole team of fully armed hatamoto here, and no one will be harmed."

When Imagawa Yoshimoto heard this, he frowned and had a bad feeling in his heart.

——What are these old guys doing behind her back?

Before she could figure out what was going on, a huge box covered with a black cloth appeared at the end of the girl's sight, lifted up by eight hatamoto.
Or something else?
The hatamoto walked slowly towards this side and soon arrived behind Uesugi Tetsu.

Then, he put down the huge square object he was carrying with a heavy thud.

The sound of iron and stone colliding could be heard from far away, and then a black-armored flagmaster wrapped in armor came and kept the surrounding onlookers at a distance.

Uesugi Che was slightly stunned.

Iron cage?

Also, why is there a breath coming from this black cloth...

He shrugged his nose and his eyes suddenly turned cold.

Uesugi Tetsu suddenly turned around and saw the family elder sitting next to Imagawa Yoshimoto also squinting at him.

"Okay, uncover it."

Wow!

The two hatamoto closest to the black cloth held their breath and raised their hands to remove it!

The next moment, cries of fear or disbelief were heard from the crowd dozens of meters away, and many people fell to the ground in fright.

"Ghost...a red ghost!?"

"Monster, it's a monster! The master is still here! How dare they..."

"Don't be so scared, the ghost is still locked in a cage!"

Waves of commotion were heard, echoing over the sky above Imagawa Hall.

The family elders who had already known about this did not react much. Some even came to comfort Imagawa Yoshimoto, saying that the ghost locked in the cage was no different from a chicken.

Imagawa Yoshimoto still didn't speak.

Not a single word.

She just slowly and silently stroked the edge of the handrail that had been worn smooth with her fingers.

Before he knew it, all the blue veins on the surface of his fair arms under his sleeves were bulging.

Like a ferocious and angry dragon!

She originally thought that these family elders had contributed more or less to the Imagawa family and shed blood when they were young, and some even devoted their entire lives to conquering cities and conducting diplomatic mediation for the Imagawa family.

Therefore, now that these family elders are old, Imagawa Yoshimoto did not impose too many restrictions on them, wanting them to spend their old age as peacefully as possible.

Therefore, she would tolerate some unimportant little things in her daily life and let them go...

But now, these old guys dare to go even further!

He actually dared to do something she had expressly forbidden!

If you dare to put the demon into Imagawa Hall this time, will you dare to put it in your own room next time?!
Now Imagawa Yoshimoto was wondering if he was too kind.

The girl in casual clothes sitting in the main seat half-opened her eyes and looked at the red evil ghost who was slowly waking up in the dark iron cage. Her cold gaze did not flinch, causing the latter to shudder.

After a moment, Imagawa Yoshimoto tapped the armrest lightly with his fingertips.

Decided.

Since these old guys don't want the peaceful old age she can give them, then...

Go to hell as soon as possible!
——The elders of the family were observing Imagawa Yoshimoto, who remained indifferent, openly or secretly. They looked at each other, breathed a sigh of relief, and felt secretly proud.

As expected, the young leader compromised with them again.

Uesugi Tetsu and Asahina Taicho, who had finally come to his senses, saw through the girl's thoughts.

The former remained noncommittal, wondering if he could talk to her later and get involved.

The latter's mood immediately became extremely, even one hundred percent, complicated, and he was completely confused about the current situation.

He was deceived by the elders of the family, and then this group of old guys actually had someone bring out the red evil ghost. The lord made such a decision in a short time.

——What the hell is going on here? He is completely confused!

An elder of the family laughed and said, "Since Lord Che claims to be the legendary Yin-Yang Master, then slaying demons and monsters should be easy for him."

Immediately, several elders joined in the laughter.

The other group of elders remained calm and just stared at Uesugi Tetsu quietly, wanting to see how he would respond.

Ignoring Asahina Taicho who was in a state of confusion, Uesugi Tetsu turned back again.

He stared at the red ghost for a while. He was more than two meters tall, with two horns on his head, fangs in his mouth, skin as red as fire, and muscles all over his body. He could definitely be called a giant in the Warring States Period.

But at this moment, some elders regarded it as a symbol of fear.

So some people sighed in silence, while others laughed heartily.

Suddenly, Uesugi Che spoke. His clear voice instantly suppressed all other sounds and movements, and the red ghost in the iron cage immediately turned his cruel gaze on him.

"——Of course."

Uesugi Tetsu stretched out his hand, and the blessed folding fan fell into his palm with a snap.

Snapped.

Unfolding his folding fan, Uesugi Tetsu slowly waved it and said, "But, if you all want me to exorcise such a ferocious red ghost, I can't just rely on a word, right?"

This move stunned many elders.

In addition, Uesugi Tetsu actually has the support of Imagawa Yoshimoto, so they also have to consider the feelings of the current head of Imagawa.

So one of the elders waved his hand and said, "What do you want, Master Che?"

Another old man, acting as a supporting actor, said, "That's absolutely right! If Master Che can exorcise this red evil ghost in public, we would be willing to pay all our family fortunes to do so!"

Uesugi Tetsu smiled and nodded.
"Then could you please let Che show me the breathing techniques that the elders are practicing?"

There were different reactions in the inner room.

Some elders shook their heads and refused openly, some asked back angrily, and some fell into deep thought, no one knew what they were thinking about.

Seeing this, Uesugi Tetsu continued, "I simply wish to satisfy the Onmyoji's curiosity about the Samurai Breathing Technique. A cursory look will suffice—even with your company."

As soon as these words were spoken, the elders calmed down and whispered a few words to each other in private.

Finally, the hoarse voice of the elder still answered on behalf of everyone.
"If you are accompanied by someone, yes."

Anyway, the practice of breathing techniques requires years of accumulation, understanding and practice, and it is not something that can be understood in a short period of time.

At that time, they would only let Che watch the breathing method for five or ten minutes.

No matter how good his memory was, it was impossible for him to memorize a book full of complicated breathing techniques in such a short time.

——And this can be considered as satisfying his curiosity!
This time, they completed the simultaneous test of the Onmyoji Che and the current Imagawa Yoshimoto at almost no cost.

It can be said to be a huge profit with no investment!

The elders looked indignant and regretful on the surface, but they all laughed out loud in their hearts.

But they don't know that Uesugi Tetsu doesn't need to understand or practice the breathing method, and he doesn't even need to memorize it.

Just take a quick glance and you can see all the secrets.

"Then, deal."

Uesugi Che closed his fan, turned around and looked at the red ghost in the cage who was staring at him with his eyes as big as copper bells, not daring to move away for a moment.

——[Red Devil (two and a half stars)].

He grinned happily, revealing a kind smile.

(End of this chapter)