Chapter 151: True Sword Match Begins! Shangshan Che Will Definitely Lose
Shangshan Che saw Nanjo Emi pinch her chin with her hand after hearing the question, resting her elbow on her raised thigh, making a thoughtful expression.
She furrowed her brows, and after a long while, she turned back to Shangshan Che and asked,
“Imagawa Yoshimoto, who is that?”
This unexpected question instead stumped Shangshan Che.
Seeing Shangshan Che’s stunned expression, Nanjo Emi rarely coughed awkwardly a couple of times before adding,
“Since I’m not very interested in history myself, the matter of Sengoku Daimyo probing the Mortal Realm only happened two days ago, and with recent events being quite busy, so……”
——So, Nanjo Emi did not know Imagawa Yoshimoto.
Shangshan Che finally reacted.
Unless one was a Sengoku history enthusiast or had watched taiga dramas, then for the vast majority of ordinary people, recognizing the “Three Heroes of the Sengoku” and knowing their chronological order would already be quite impressive.
“Then Sister Nanjo, do you know about the Battle of Okehazama?”
“Oh, of course I know that.” Nanjo Emi raised a finger and replied, “Oda Nobunaga’s famous battle, very well-known.”
She knew about the Battle of Okehazama, yet was unaware of the other “protagonist” of that battle, Imagawa Yoshimoto……
Actually, this was quite reasonable, just like he had been before.
Because no one would be interested in learning about the stepping stones and losers beneath a legendary rise, just like few people know the names of the second and third place in Olympic competitions.
In that case, the probability of Imagawa Yoshimoto existing in the Mortal Realm would be much smaller than that of Oda Nobunaga and others, even less than some famous vassals of the Oda Clan or Toyotomi Family.
“Fame, huh.”
Shangshan Che hummed and silently thought to himself, various rough ideas and points popping into his mind.
If he wanted to increase Imagawa Yoshimoto’s fame, it definitely couldn’t just focus on the “Battle of Okehazama.”
Because before that, Oda Nobunaga was merely the fool of Owari mocked by the world at the time, completely unrelated to the word “legend.”
So to make the four words “Imagawa Yoshimoto” widely known, it still had to be done step by step, slowly.
First step, at least make the many ordinary people of the Sengoku Period know Imagawa Yoshimoto because of “some unique characteristic.”
For the one-of-a-kind Onmyoji Che of the Sengoku Period, achieving this wasn’t too difficult.
As for the event, the Mikawa Region Uprising right nearby, and the Great Demon almost unseen in the Sengoku Period, would be a perfect test subject……
Thinking of this, Shangshan Che suddenly froze.
——How had he unconsciously started thinking from Imagawa Yoshimoto’s perspective to help this woman?
Nanjo Emi, who had already memorized this new name, looked at the pensive Shangshan Che for a moment, then asked,
“So Shangshan Jun, what is the purpose of you suddenly mentioning this ‘Imagawa Yoshimoto’?”
Shangshan Che came back to his senses and answered without thinking: “Because her danger level is very high, she is a Sengoku Daimyo who can match or even surpass Oda Nobunaga in certain aspects; underestimating her would definitely come at a great cost.”
Nanjo Emi nodded seriously, typing this into her laptop, preparing to include it in her report.
“Right, Sister Nanjo.”
To avoid Nanjo Emi continuing to ask about Imagawa Yoshimoto, Shangshan Che proactively changed the topic: “Why did you specifically call me over when that Great Onmyoji was present?”
The implication was, “Sister Nanjo, you’re being too good to me.”
This was already an old topic, as Shangshan Che had felt this way more than once before.
Nanjo Emi naturally understood Shangshan Che’s meaning.
She casually pulled open the tab of the cola with her fingertip and pushed it in front of Shangshan Che,
“Didn’t you notice what Kujo Shingo said earlier?”
She said flatly: “Because I have no doubt that you are a once-in-a-millennium genius. And these treatments are only natural under that premise.”
“Shangshan Jun, I will cultivate you with all my might, protect you, and fulfill your needs.”
Nanjo Emi placed the can dripping with tiny water droplets into Shangshan Che’s hand, showing an unquestionable smile,
“You just need to accept it with peace of mind.”
Shangshan Che gripped the ice-cold cola and took a gulp into his mouth, feeling the long-missed refreshing fizz and stimulation of the carbonated drink.
But what followed was an indescribable sense of relaxation and security.
He did not say thank you.
He just asked: “Then Sister Nanjo, you didn’t call me just for that brief meeting earlier, right?”
Nanjo Emi narrowed her eyes, sizing him up from top to bottom, as if seeing right through him inside and out,
“Mm, first wanted to confirm if anyone had gotten to you; I forgot to place a mark on you before.”
Feeling the slight goosebumps rising on his skin, Shangshan Che asked: “Gotten to me?”
“Shangshan Jun, you should have noticed it from the moment you entered the dojo.”
Nanjo Emi said: “That feeling of being faintly spied on from afar.”
“Indeed there was, but I couldn’t find the source.” Shangshan Che hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Obscure Moon Hall’s Dojo Master Kujo Obuya?”
Nanjo Emi nodded slightly in surprise, frankly admitting: “Mm, it’s her.”
She pointed to her own eyes and said: “Kujo Obuya has a powerful demonic eye of unknown origin, so she can easily ‘see’ every inch of space in the entire dojo.”
Shangshan Che was a bit puzzled: “Then why is she doing this?”
Nanjo Emi shrugged: “Who knows, no one can figure out the malicious quirks of an old demon hag who’s lived from the Edo Period to now.”
“But now I’ve placed a spiritual power mark on you, Shangshan Jun.”
She sank deeper into the sofa, yawning slightly sleepily,
“Unless she wants to slap me hard across the face and start a direct war, you won’t be at risk of being spied on by this old demon hag anymore after this.”
Nanjo Emi said softly with her eyes closed: “I know you have more secrets than the average person, so they need to be guarded even more carefully.”
Shangshan Che opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to say thank you.
But he remembered Nanjo Emi’s earlier words and closed his mouth again.
“Then Sister Nanjo, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head out first.”
“Mm.”
Finishing the ice-cold cola in one go, Shangshan Che knew that his top priority now was to continue cultivating the Corona Breathing Technique.
Then, use the fact of victory to tell Nanjo Emi:
——Your idea is not wrong.
……
Over the next two days, Shangshan Che basically holed up alone in the room prepared by Obscure Moon Hall for guests, cultivating the Corona Breathing Technique.
He didn’t meet much with Lili Zi either; first, cultivating breathing techniques was a grind unlike sword techniques, not requiring intense clashes with Lili Zi for discussion.
Second, Shangshan Che knew that if he stayed too long, Lili Zi would see through his thoughts, forcing him to tell her the news of Tokugawa Hoshi’s arrival.
Since that was the case, to avoid complications before the crucial True Sword Match, Shangshan Che decided to hold back this news for now.
On the 18th, three hours before the True Sword Match began.
“There are quite a few more people in Obscure Moon Hall these past two days.”
Shangshan Che looked fatigued, slowly exhaling white Qi Barrier that was almost substantial, hearing the dense murmur of discussions from the corridor outside.
Most of them were audience members.
They were audience members here to catch a glimpse of Obscure Moon Hall, which had not formally appeared before the public in a long time yet could effortlessly exorcise all demons in Yokohama City relying on just a few disciples in the shadows.
Though there were many audience members, Shangshan Che had not seen the three Obscure Moon Hall disciples he would face again in these two days.
Originally, Shangshan Che had wanted to continue spreading information like “Two-Foot Adult is very important to Shangshan Che” to them.
But he hadn’t even seen Karatorishigure’s crow again.
It was as if those three didn’t care about him at all.
“But, this is fine too.”
Shangshan Che stopped minding such minor things and looked at the panel beside him marked with the Corona Breathing Technique.
——【Corona Breathing Technique（Proficiency 2922/3500）】.
In these dozens of hours, Shangshan Che had consumed a full 5 portions of Soul Incense Ash（small）, cultivating day and night to raise the Corona Breathing Technique’s proficiency by about four hundred points.
Still 588 proficiency points short of promotion.
Normally, two high-intensity battles would be enough to fill that gap.
But it wasn’t enough.
What Shangshan Che wanted wasn’t “high probability,” but “certainty.”
He had to win this True Sword Match.
And win it handsomely!
He unhesitatingly took out two Spell Scrolls（damaged） from his Storage Bag, using the ones he had originally planned to test on Shiraishi on himself.
——【Corona Breathing Technique（Proficiency 3122/3500）】.
“This should be about enough.”
Shangshan Che sensed the churning Corona Qi in his body, slowly calming it, letting it quietly flow through his limbs and body, through every part of this flesh.
Then he took out Kaga Kiyomitsu and laid it flat on his knees, asking the Daito that hadn’t been unsheathed in a long time: “Little Jia, ready?”
Buzz.
Kaga Kiyomitsu emitted a short but resolute buzzing sound.
Likewise, without hesitation.
Shangshan Che smiled and stroked its hilt, then plucked his heartstrings, hearing a muffled voice that seemed to still be sneaking snacks,
“——Po! Two-Foot is always ready!”
Next, only he himself remained.
Shangshan Che closed his eyes, instantly entering a deep meditation state, rapidly recovering his depleted spirit and mental strength.
Two and a half hours later.
Knock knock knock.
Someone knocked on Shangshan Che’s room door.
Shangshan Che calmly opened his eyes, showing a bit of surprise after recognizing the footsteps.
He hadn’t expected that among so many people, the one volunteering to call him would be this person.
Shangshan Che stood up, fastened Kaga Kiyomitsu to his waist, and upon opening the door, saw Akechi Yuya’s very serious expression and his impeccably neat attire.
“Shangshan Senior!”
The moment he saw Shangshan Che, Akechi Yuya deeply bowed to him.
A straight ninety degrees, not a bit more or less.
Shangshan Che: “No need for that.”
Akechi Yuya straightened up, looking straight into his eyes: “No, ever since I was defeated by Shangshan Senior’s shikigami two days ago, I’ve resolved to change myself.”
“First point is to show respect to ‘seniors,’ no matter in what aspect this ‘senior’ surpasses me.”
Akechi Yuya paused, then continued: “But likewise, I will see you, Shangshan Senior, as my top target and keep chasing you.”
“——In the future, I will first defeat your shikigami, then defeat you personally!”
Looking at the serious and earnest boy in front of him, whose words conveyed a simple honesty, Shangshan Che couldn’t help but smile.
“Good luck.” He said just as seriously.
Then, Shangshan Che began at the doorway, in front of Akechi Yuya, taking out and equipping items and gear one by one.
First, he summoned Two-Foot Adult——she was now wearing Pure Imperial Hina, greatly enhancing her physicality and allowing her to move more freely in battle.
Next, the cold-glowing Cold Steel Armguards were fitted on his forearms, and the pale golden Koma-inu Bell hung beside Kaga Kiyomitsu.
On the other side of his waist hung the fierce and intimidating White Hannya’s Mask and the translucent Four-tailed Fox Jade Pendant, dense demonic energy spreading from Shangshan Che’s body, making Akechi Yuya involuntarily step back half a pace.
Finally, the exquisite retro Priest’s Robe draped down, covering everything.
Shangshan Che savored the once again swelling and full power, reaching out his hand to let the medium-length Plain Spear fall into his grasp.
For the first match, he decided to meet the enemy with Spear Technique.
Akechi Yuya stared at Shangshan Che, who had completely transformed in an instant, momentarily dazed.
“Sh-Shangshan Senior…… The upcoming True Sword Match has three consecutive rounds; don’t you need to hold back some trump cards?”
“——Facing Obscure Moon Hall’s disciples, you must go all out from the start and not underestimate anyone.”
Shangshan Che glanced faintly at him: “Akechi Jun, do you know why the entire Obscure Moon Hall, with just a few people, can effortlessly dominate all of Yokohama City?”
Without waiting for Akechi Yuya to answer, Shangshan Che said: “Slay. Slaughter all demons, wicked people, and opponents who dare to show their faces or cause trouble.”
“Moreover, Akechi Jun.” Shangshan Che looked at him with a half-smile, “How can you be sure these are all my trump cards?”
After saying this to the stunned Akechi Yuya, Shangshan Che suddenly remembered something.
Almost forgot.
He took out the Divine Fortune Stick Cylinder, shook it casually, and pinched the smooth, slender bamboo stick that fell from the opening.
Flipped it over.
The vivid red “Great Fortune” characters engraved on the bamboo stick were revealed.
【Fortune-Telling Stick·Great Fortune】
【——Follow your heart, and that will be good enough.】
Shangshan Che curled the corner of his mouth, tossing this Great Fortune stick casually to the ground.
This pre-battle omen was pretty good.
He turned around, gripping the long Plain Spear in his hand, and slowly walked toward the underground arena.
The passage from Shangshan Che’s room to the arena was very long, so the closer he got, the clearer the sounds from the arena became.
The closer he got, the more he could feel the boiling of the arena’s clamor.
Countless noisy discussions poured from the arena into the passage and into Shangshan Che’s ears.
He reached the entrance of the underground arena, his foot stepping on the boundary between light and shadow.
In an instant, Shangshan Che felt countless gazes landing on him, on his shadow.
Even though he hadn’t formally entered the arena yet.
“There are so many people; looks like Obscure Moon Hall’s reputation is indeed not small.”
Shangshan Che raised an eyebrow; it was his first time fighting someone under the watch of so many people.
He stood there a bit longer, nodding thoughtfully: “But it seems most people aren’t optimistic about me.”
This was only natural.
Gripping the Plain Spear tightly, Shangshan Che, with Two-Foot Adult, slowly walked into the fervently heated underground arena.
And just as he was one step away from entering the arena’s sand ground, urgent footsteps sounded from the passage behind him.
The next moment, Akechi Yuya’s shout came from afar: “Shangshan Senior——”
“I wish you martial fortune!”
So Shangshan Che smiled.
He glanced back and nodded, stepping into the vast underground arena under Akechi Yuya’s gaze.
Intense lights projected down from the circular dome ceiling, making Shangshan Che squint slightly.
He looked around, confirming the arena was roughly a circular shape about fifty meters in diameter, much larger in total area than the previous small training field number three.
Shangshan Che looked up and finally saw Kujo Obuya, the Obscure Moon Hall Dojo Master, seated high on the elevated main seat with her eyes closed.
Kujo Obuya wore a loose deep purple dojo robe, had the youthful appearance of someone in their early thirties, with snow-white silky long hair cascading from her shoulders to the ground, her aura calm and serene.
This appearance and temperament were quite unexpected to Shangshan Che.
Due to the previous “spying” incident, Shangshan Che had originally thought Kujo Obuya would be some sinister old demon hag with wrinkled bark-like skin and an ominous aura all over.
Now seeing her, aside from the crisscrossing blood-colored patterns on her skin, she was hardly different from ordinary women her age or even younger.
Disguise, huh.
Shangshan Che slightly shifted his gaze to the right, seeing the three notaries for this True Sword Match.
Kujo Shingo from the Onmyo-ryo, nodding to him.
From the Tokugawa family, Tokugawa Hoshi, whose eyes were narrowed into slits, already raising a fist at him with a cold laugh.
And the last one……
Huijue, wearing a T-shirt with a big “tide” character, a thick skull necklace, grinning with white teeth at him.
Shangshan Che couldn’t help but pause.
He had completely not expected to see Huijue here.
Moments later, Shangshan Che made out the jacket on Huijue’s back——printed with the Special Affairs Office mark, accurately the Onmyo Major Official insignia.
Originally, it had been quite difficult for Nanjo Emi just to get Huijue a nominal position at the Special Affairs Office.
But now he had become a real Onmyo Major Official, openly sitting here in front of so many people.
The implications behind this were significant.
It seemed that in the time since he parted from Huijue at Hongyuan Temple, many things he didn’t know had happened.
But those were matters for later.
Shangshan Che nodded to him and walked toward the center of the arena, seeing Akatsuki Ran already waiting there, idly playing with her Bone Dagger out of boredom.
“So slow……”
Akatsuki Ran still made that lazy, listless sound.
She wore a black mask, eyes half-lowered.
But this time, instead of a baggy patchwork hoodie, she wore a full-body tight leather suit from neck to ankles and wrists.
The pale pink leather suit faithfully revealed every curve of Akatsuki Ran’s body.
But likewise, it exposed to everyone the fact that aside from the Bone Dagger in her hand, she had no other weapons.
Shangshan Che’s gaze swept over the unremarkable sand ground around: “You’re too early; I’m the one who’s on time.”
“Early, huh……”
Akatsuki Ran mumbled, tugging the mask from behind her ears and tossing it casually beside her snow-white, almost unreal feet, then fixed Shangshan Che with her dark, deep eyes.
In the short time before the notaries announced the start, the two faced off about ten meters apart, observing each other without holding back.
During this time, the discussions from the audience who had come from surrounding cities, counties, all over, and various small dojos and small families grew even more heated.
An Onmyoji curiously asked: “Brothers, I can’t sense any spiritual power on them, so I can’t tell who’s stronger; what do you think?”
“Obviously the woman in leather on the left; you can tell just by looking at their spirit, energy, and vitality.”
“You’re right, but that little shikigami in the white pure cloth is so cute; I’ve taken dozens of photos of her, will pay for them!”
A dojo heirline who had done their homework shrugged: “Akatsuki Ran has personally slain at least over a hundred demons in the past two years; the other, Shangshan Che, is a new cultivator after the First Wave. Who do you think has the edge?”
Someone nearby sighed: “Now I just hope Shangshan Jun can hold out longer, or else my ticket, train ticket, and missed work pay are all wasted.”
That Onmyoji was stunned: “Wait, isn’t this True Sword Match three rounds?”
After this remark, the surrounding crowd finally couldn’t hold back their laughter, making the area erupt in waves of chuckles.
Behind Shangshan Che, the Arakawa Ward group led by Nanjo Emi was seated here.
Hattori Ayako, hearing the laughter coming every few moments from around, pursed her lips and asked beside her: “Why does it seem like no one thinks Shangshan Jun will win……”
“Because theoretically, it’s indeed hard to win; the data analysis says so.”
Beside her, Makiya Hitomi pushed up her glasses flatly: “Of course, personally, I support Shangshan Jun.”
Hearing this answer, Hattori Ayako clenched her fist and asked the same question to Lili Zi on the other side.
The latter, showing only her eyes, silently shook her head——no need to overthink ended matters.
From the moment she first saw Shangshan Che walk out of the passage, the outcome of this True Sword Match, at least the first and second rounds, was already decided.
Even though the match hadn’t started.
——Shangshan Che was that kind of person; if you weren’t careful, he could leave you far behind.
Lili Zi indifferently withdrew her gaze from the field, subtly shifting it to beside the notaries’ seats.
“Third Sister……”
She showed an extremely complex gaze, murmuring softly in her heart.
Meanwhile, Hattori Ayako, seeing Lili Zi shake her head, visibly tensed up.
Her palms slightly sweated.
Hattori Ayako looked at Shangshan Che, calm as still water on the field, and listened to the constant objective evaluations around, finally standing up and shouting,
“——Shangshan Jun, good luck! I believe you can win!”
Hearing Hattori Ayako’s cheer from behind, Shangshan Che blinked in surprise and turned back to nod to her.
In that instant, before Kujo Obuya announced the contestants and the three notaries declared the rules.
Akatsuki Ran moved.
In a flash, silver light shot toward him like an arrow!
Too many things at school today…… and moved a lot of stuff……
Sorry meow, will definitely burst update tomorrow to make up for it
