Chapter 164: Red Ogre Horn, Activated! 【fortune-telling Stick: Ominous】, Another Path To Enhance Incarnation Quality
Out of curiosity about Okabe Motonobu, Shangshan Che mentally repeated Asahina Yasutomo’s words once more.
Then, he felt a bit puzzled.
Invisible demonic ghost causing trouble?
That shouldn’t be right.
Logically speaking, demons and monsters that cannot be seen with the naked eye are generally minor ghosts around One-Star or so.
And such weak monsters could not possibly approach a fierce general like Okabe Motonobu, who has abundant Qi and Blood and has killed countless enemies on the battlefield, let alone possess her body.
But according to what Asahina Yasutomo said, this monster could not be that powerful either.
Because a sufficiently powerful monster, after approaching or even possessing Okabe Motonobu, would not be content with merely making her sleep poorly.
This logic is fundamentally contradictory.
So Shangshan Che furrowed his brow and asked, “Your Excellency Asahina, could you explain in more detail…”
Seeing his serious expression, Asahina Yasutomo held his breath for a moment, somewhat nervous,
“Has Lady Motono encountered some terrifying demonic ghost?”
“It’s not quite that serious yet.”
Shangshan Che shook his head, then explained to Asahina Yasutomo the reason for his question.
“I see.”
The young man clasped his hands together and pondered seriously on the spot for a good while.
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa beside him was not impatient either.
She crouched down, pulled over Two-Foot Adult who had been solemnly hugging Kaga Kiyomitsu with her small face, and smilingly began leading her to tour the gardens and landscapes of the Imagawa Residence.
“Mister Che, sorry…”
Asahina Yasutomo scratched the back of his head embarrassedly, then lowered his head and sincerely apologized again,
“Actually, I’m not very clear on the details and reasons either. I just got a bit overly worried on her behalf when Lady Motono casually mentioned it to me earlier.”
“—Probably, you’ll still need to go and examine her in person at that time.”
Shangshan Che: “…”
He helplessly rolled his eyes in his mind.
—This kid Yasutomo is a bit too reckless.
Asking without knowing anything, yet daring to seek help.
If the one standing before him wasn’t himself, but another onmyoji of this era, they would probably think Asahina Yasutomo was toying with them and leave with a flick of the sleeve.
Shangshan Che sighed: “I understand. If I have time, I’ll go solve the problem for her. I’ll have to trouble Your Excellency Asahina to guide the way then.”
The young man was immediately overjoyed,
“Mister Che, thank you so much!”
He thanked him repeatedly, then said that Shangshan Che could call him “Yasutomo” directly in the future, without using the distant “Asahina.”
After a brief tug-of-war, Shangshan Che and Asahina Yasutomo finally settled on “Your Excellency Yasutomo” as a compromise in this naming dispute.
“Then, Your Excellency Yasutomo.”
Shangshan Che waved to him: “See you next time.”
Asahina Yasutomo nodded silently, pointed to Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa who had her back to them not far away, then quickly left.
His footsteps were loud as he left, enough to make Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa, who was holding Two-Foot Adult’s hand and squatting on the ground watching ants pass by, turn her gaze back.
She didn’t stand up to approach, but instead waved to Shangshan Che.
Shangshan Che walked over and heard her ask: “Talked it over with Yasutomo?”
“Yeah.”
He stood behind, gazing at the harmonious pair, somewhat surprised.
Originally, Shangshan Che had been hiding Two-Foot Adult because he didn’t want Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa to see her.
He had thought that as soon as the two met, they would clash head-on, eyeing each other with displeasure in a headache-inducing situation.
But unexpectedly, the two of them got along surprisingly harmoniously.
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa held out her palm toward the side: “Tetsu-kun, get me a branch.”
She felt the small cool hand she was holding tremble imperceptibly for an instant after she said “Tetsu-kun,” and a smile appeared in her heart.
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa glanced sideways at the girl squatting beside her, and upon seeing her silently say nothing, withdrew her gaze.
Shangshan Che said nothing more, casually picking up a branch.
He used his Qi Barrier to smooth the end of the branch, sharpen the tip slightly, then held the tip part to hand the branch to Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa.
The girl took the branch, stared at it for a moment, then placed it right in front of the ant procession.
The lead ant paused slightly, as if comprehending the situation.
“Tetsu-kun, what do you think about this morning’s matter?”
Shangshan Che’s gaze sharpened, knowing the main event had arrived.
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa’s words were undoubtedly asking for his view on those elders.
She also wanted to know his decision.
But rather than any roundabout cautious probing, she directly asked him personally when they were alone.
This already said a lot about her attitude.
Though this decision was important, for Shangshan Che it was completely effortless.
Because it was a choice that required no thought at all.
Shangshan Che said from behind and to the side of the girl: “Che just wants to use this opportunity to observe the Breathing Technique. It satisfies my curiosity without getting too entangled with those few.”
After a pause, he continued: “If Lord Yoshimoto has any inconvenient matters and wants some ‘accidents’ to happen… Che can handle it for you.”
Hearing this answer, Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa’s beautiful eyes curved, irrepressible joy surging from the depths of her eyes.
The girl spent two seconds suppressing those emotions, then raised her voice: “Accidents? No need for accidents!”
She emphasized: “I’ve always only wanted ‘certainty,’ not accidents that represent inadequate preparation.”
In truth, Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa didn’t want Shangshan Che to do anything.
Having Shangshan Che stay in the Imagawa Residence to handle these matters would be too much of a waste.
She only wanted his attitude.
That was enough.
—The lead ant touched the motionless branch twice with its antennae, then chose to go around and continue forward.
And behind this decision was the path that Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa had specially cleared for them earlier, a smooth road to their nest.
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa’s unexpected answer left Shangshan Che somewhat puzzled as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
He had thought she truly wouldn’t swallow this insult, that if she was angry today, she’d act today.
Yet she said she didn’t need his help.
This instead left Shangshan Che a bit confused.
“By the way, Motono seems to have been in poor spirits lately. What Yasutomo just said to you was probably about that too…”
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa stood up, patted the dust and a few fallen leaves off her clothes: “Perfect timing then. Tetsu-kun, use this chance to get acquainted with her.”
“For suppressing the Mikawa Region Uprising, I plan to have Motono lead the troops as commander.
You’ll serve as vice general to assist her this time, and incidentally learn what war is really like.
Any great demons that might be there, I’ll leave to you.”
She released Two-Foot Adult’s hand, letting her quietly return to Shangshan Che’s side, then led the two into a secluded path surrounded by deep trees.
Shangshan Che’s gaze swept over the branches specially trimmed along the path and some vivid little stone sculptures, thinking that the landscapes of the Imagawa Residence were indeed well done.
“Also.” Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa pondered for a moment before saying, “I’ll tell Motono about the Jodo Shinshu matter too. You two figure out how to handle it together.”
“If you encounter any difficulties beyond expectations, just send me a letter, and I’ll come to support as fast as possible.”
Shangshan Che narrowed his eyes.
—Did Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa mean with these words that she didn’t want to get involved in the Mikawa Uprising, handing it entirely to him and Okabe Motonobu?
No.
That won’t do.
Leaving aside that if he went far away from Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa’s side, he definitely couldn’t rush back in time for any accidents, unable even to help.
Moreover, this “62-day” eerie task deadline was truly off.
This Mikawa Uprising was definitely different from before, yet Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa didn’t think so.
He had to make her take this seriously.
Of course, most importantly, if Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa didn’t go, he couldn’t create some “famous scenes” to rapidly boost and spread her fame.
That would be missing out on a huge fame-boosting event!
Thus, Shangshan Che quickened his steps to her side and said seriously: “Lord Yoshimoto, this uprising might not be as simple as it seems.”
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa’s steps paused slightly.
She heard Shangshan Che say word by word,
“—My intuition tells me so.”
Intuition, huh.
Intuition…
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa mused.
If it were Yasutomo or Motono saying this, she’d dismiss it without a second thought—those two always go on about intuition, yet end up with nothing.
But Tetsu-kun was an onmyoji who wielded mysterious onmyōdō.
Seeing Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa seemed somewhat convinced, Shangshan Che directly took out the Divine Fortune Stick Cylinder from his Storage Bag and shook it twice in front of her.
The girl puzzled: “This is…”
“Divine Fortune Stick Cylinder. Lord Yoshimoto, just treat it as a fairly accurate divination item.”
Shangshan Che exaggerated a bit: “At least, it saved my life a few times before.”
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa took the cylinder and examined it,
“So how do you use this?”
“Close your eyes, think of what you want to ask in your mind, and it will give a fortune prediction.”
Shangshan Che explained in detail: “I think if Lord Yoshimoto can’t decide, it might provide considerable help for one choice.”
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa stared at the exquisite cylinder in her hand, silent for a moment.
She had never believed in such mystical things, even growing up in a temple since childhood.
Because it always made her feel like her own fate was controlled by some unseen force.
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa disliked that feeling.
But this was something Tetsu-kun took out.
Since he could command Heavenly Thunder, the “fortune” this cylinder foretold surely wouldn’t be false either.
She asked: “The so-called fortune, will it accurately predict the future…”
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa suddenly stopped midway.
Instead, she immediately closed her eyes, gently shook the Divine Fortune Stick Cylinder twice, letting a slender bamboo stick fall from the opening.
Shangshan Che caught the stick for her, then placed it on Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa’s palm.
She opened her eyes.
And a square, blood-red 【Misfortune】 character entered her view, making Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa narrow her beautiful eyes and squeeze a cold snort through her teeth.
“Tetsu-kun, interpret it.”
Shangshan Che took the Divine Fortune Stick, and the prompt immediately popped up.
【Divine Fortune Stick·Misfortune】
【—As you think, things will go contrary to your wishes.】
Shangshan Che secretly clicked his tongue.
This was the sharpest Divine Fortune Stick prompt he had ever seen.
Shangshan Che recited it word for word.
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa’s face immediately darkened: “If I break this stick now, will things change?”
“No.”
Hearing this, Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa snatched the Divine Fortune Stick, viciously snapped it in half with both hands, and tossed it casually into the roadside grass.
Shangshan Che opened his mouth: “Lord Yoshimoto, I really think you need to take this more seriously…”
“This time, it’s indeed different from before.”
“I know, I’ve got it.”
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa sighed heavily.
She raised her hand, rubbed her temples: “So, I’m angry and helpless at my own shallow and foolish self from moments ago.”
Her face had suddenly turned as black as charcoal not because she disliked the interpretation.
But because after hearing the interpretation, she suddenly realized many small details that her previous self had overlooked.
The girl patted her cheeks, tsking unhappily at herself,
“It’s just some documents and policy tax designations… Such things can be done anytime, right.”
After grumbling to herself for a bit, Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa quickly composed her mood and spoke flatly,
“Hanzō.”
Two seconds later, a beam of shadow coalesced before her eyes into Hanzō’s form.
Shangshan Che, sensing no Spiritual Power Fluctuation or qi flow at all, had his pupils contract slightly, wondering if this was another part of ninja secret arts.
“Subordinate is here.”
“Tell me again about the Mikawa Region situation, every detail without omission.”
“Yes.”
……
About half an hour later.
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa summarized,
“Aside from the Mikawa Region truly having an uprising and rumors of a great demon causing trouble, nothing seems off.”
Shangshan Che fell silent for a moment.
Just as he was about to persuade again, he heard her assert,
“—But nothing being off is the biggest anomaly, isn’t it.”
After sending Hanzō to attend to his own matters, Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa continued leading the one person and one shikigami along the path.
She muttered to herself: “Because those clans have no reason to ‘court death’ again, weakening their own influence once more.”
Clap.
She clapped her hands, then said after slowly exhaling: “Tetsu-kun, thank you.”
Hearing Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa say this, Shangshan Che knew she had made her decision.
Even in front of a subordinate, she could self-reflect, humbly accept advice, then choose the path she had previously decided to abandon.
As expected of a wise lord.
Shangshan Che sighed inwardly.
At this point, the path was nearly at its end, and the three arrived at the back gate of the Imagawa Residence.
If one held their breath and listened carefully, they could faintly hear the footsteps of people pacing back and forth in the distance outside the gate and the snorts of horses.
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa shook her head, temporarily shaking off those myriad complicated official duties and not-so-great mood.
She stared at Kaga Kiyomitsu in Two-Foot Adult’s arms and said: “Tetsu-kun, you don’t have a suitable tachi right now, do you.”
Shangshan Che was stunned by the sudden topic, and only after a while, confirming there was indeed no tachi in his bag, nodded,
“Yeah… that’s true.”
“Perfect then.”
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa tapped her chin with a fingertip, then waved it in front of him: “I know the best blacksmith in Sunpu Castle. Anyway, nothing urgent after this, so let’s go buy a sword together first.”
“And that blacksmith shop happens to be on the way to Motono’s home. Then I can have someone take you straight there.
Kill two birds with one stone.”
The head of the Imagawa Clan pressed her ten fingers to her chest, smiling as she said,
“Right, Tetsu-kun?”
“Ah… yeah, yes.”
Realizing he had no other response options, Shangshan Che nodded, giving the answer the girl wanted to hear.
A free tachi was a free tachi; one from Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa surely wouldn’t be bad.
Getting a good weapon for free, who needed a bicycle!
“Then let’s go~”
……
Before leaving the Imagawa Residence, Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa first had Two-Foot Adult change into plain white kosode.
After all, her original little white dress was too out of place with the surroundings, far too eye-catching.
And probably due to some affinity aura, even after changing clothes, Shangshan Che waiting in a shadowy corner could hear the servants openly expressing their fondness for her.
Oh, as for why he was standing in a shadowy corner…
That was naturally because—
“Red Ogre Horn.”
Shangshan Che’s gaze fell on the pair of deep black curved horns in his Storage Bag.
To avoid being seen, Shangshan Che didn’t take them out to examine, but directly used them on Demon Incarnation·White Hannya in the bag.
The prompt immediately popped up.
【You used Red Ogre Horn on your Demon Incarnation·White Hannya.】
【The two are fusing…】
Shangshan Che’s gaze shifted to the White Hannya’s Mask floating on another panel.
Suddenly, the pair of Red Ogre horns appeared on it, and then the Hannya Mask let out a silent howl, opening its mouth to swallow them whole without chewing.
Shortly after, the prompt popped up again.
【The quality of your Demon Incarnation·White Hannya has improved slightly.】
【Please continue collecting “Ogre Horns” to improve the quality of Demon Incarnation·White Hannya.】
Of course, the Hannya Incarnation quality didn’t jump from “Epic” to “Epic+” or even “Super Epic.”
This was reasonable.
If a mere pair of Rare quality Red Ogre Horns could upgrade an Epic quality Hannya Incarnation, that would be abnormal.
But a difference had appeared nonetheless.
Shangshan Che narrowed his eyes to observe, finding the pair of horns atop the Hannya Mask slightly deeper in color.
The specific effects were unclear; perhaps only known upon transforming into Hannya again.
But there definitely wasn’t time now.
Because Two-Foot Adult was standing outside waving to him.
Closing the panel, Shangshan Che walked toward Two-Foot Adult, who had re-tied her hair and looked like a sword-holding page boy.
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa, wearing a conical hat to conceal her face, waited at the doorway, the original guards temporarily dispersed.
A slightly surprised voice came from under the conical hat: “Eh? Why do I feel like your face has changed a bit, Tetsu-kun? Less eye-catching than before.”
Shangshan Che, who had used the Four-tailed Fox’s face-altering effect to reduce his Charm by several points, replied,
“Just a minor onmyōdō effect. Lord Yoshimoto, you’re wearing the conical hat because you want to walk there without being mobbed, right.”
“Mm… You do understand me, Tetsu-kun.”
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa smiled, walking side by side with Shangshan Che, plainly blending into the hustle and bustle of Sunpu Castle.
After entering the Seven-Block Town, Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa led him around various places inside and out.
This fleshed out Shangshan Che’s impression of this Sengoku Period city, beyond the fleeting glimpse from the carriage earlier.
And this impression was surprisingly good.
The roads were clearly and logically planned, the shops on both sides neat, and the passing crowds mostly wore smiles and anticipation for the future, even the farmers and fishermen from out of town.
This was far from the dark Sengoku Period of traditional notions— just look at the cities in the little stories Shiraishi mentioned earlier.
Shangshan Che thought this was probably inseparable from Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa’s merits.
Also, after leaving the Imagawa Residence, Shangshan Che could clearly feel Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa made no mention of the elders, as if it had never happened.
Clearly, not long ago, Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa had been like a powder keg, ready to explode at a touch.
He naturally noticed this oddity.
But Shangshan Che didn’t point it out.
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa not mentioning it meant she had her own reasons.
Moreover, with things’ progression unknown, no need to press for clarity right now.
Shangshan Che’s gaze passed through the crowd, landing on a food shop by the street emanating a rich aroma.
He twitched his nose, glanced back at Two-Foot Adult hugging her sword expressionlessly but with drool nearly trickling from the corner of her mouth, and couldn’t help laughing inwardly.
Hardly out for a stroll, better treat Two-Foot Adult to some local Sengoku-era delicacies.
Incidentally, could bring some tasty treats back for Shiraishi too.
Dangling goodies in front would surely motivate him more when studying the manual later.
Shangshan Che used Qi Barrier to form a sound line and asked: “Lord Yoshimoto, any good delicacies in Sunpu Castle?”
“Delicacies… Of course there are.” Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa promptly punched his waist with her fist, “And outside, don’t call me that; you’ll get us found out.”
“With onmyōdō, no worries.”
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa tilted her conical hat slightly, probably wondering how onmyōdō had so many practical little functions.
She stuck close to Shangshan Che’s side to avoid being separated by the crowd.
—Compared to Tetsu-kun himself, he probably wanted more to buy treats for this little shikigami Two-Foot and that Shiraishi still back at the Imagawa Residence.
If so, then pick things kids love to eat.
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa said: “Like konpeito, syrup shaved ice, and those little pastries from the southern barbarians; they’re all pretty tasty.”
Shangshan Che, not well-versed in food, didn’t interject, just listening as she continued,
“But those shops are a bit far from here. I’ll buy some later and bring them to you, Tetsu-kun.”
“About that…”
Just as Shangshan Che raised his hand to decline, the conical hat darted to his side—no need to think, Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa inside was definitely staring at him.
“Thanks very much, Lord Yoshimoto.”
“Then I’ll take this thanks as a ‘get out of jail free card’ for when you mess up later, Tetsu-kun.”
The girl’s light laugh came from under the conical hat.
Shangshan Che was speechless.
Why did he feel his lord had a bit of a scheming side?
“Ah, I remember that sheepskin cake shop is pretty good too.”
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa suddenly said, then grabbed Shangshan Che’s wrist and squeezed out of the crowd.
Two-Foot Adult, hugging her sword like a curious child, trotted dah-dah-dah behind them, naturally drawing a pile of passersby gazes.
“Boss, four sheepskin cakes.”
After Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa paid, a soft mochi-like dumpling wrapped in oiled paper, similar to daifuku, was stuffed into Shangshan Che’s hand.
“Try it.”
Wait, you call this a cake?
Shangshan Che bit into it tentatively, chewing for a while.
Hmm… surprisingly pretty good.
He turned to look and saw Two-Foot Adult had nearly devoured hers with enthusiastic wows.
Shangshan Che took another bite, nodding slowly to Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa, earning the girl’s muffled proud hum.
The three walked some more.
According to Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa, they were already very close to that blacksmith shop.
“How is it? Sunpu Castle is fairly prosperous, right.”
Having finished the daifuku and carefully licked her fingertips clean, Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa proactively said: “Everyone’s doing decently. Beggars and such are far fewer than over at Takeda or Hojo next door.”
This was indeed worth boasting about.
Shangshan Che first praised her, then casually mentioned,
“But there seem to be quite a few wretched beggars in some alleys.”
“That can’t be helped.”
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa’s tone suddenly cooled, and with clear displeasure and disdain, she said,
“Even though I’ve opened up farming or labor jobs to nearly everyone in the castle, some still prefer lying on the ground rotting away rather than working.”
“People like that, born to commoners, become beggars starving to death; even if lucky enough to be born noble, they’re just wastrel playboys squandering the family fortune.”
She made no effort to hide the contempt in her tone.
“Alright, we’re here.”
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa stopped, lifting her conical hat slightly.
Shangshan Che followed her gaze and spotted, amid a bunch of gaudy banners, a blacksmith shop that was unexpectedly clean—almost starkly so.
If not approaching closely, one might not even notice it was a blacksmith shop.
It could be said it was completely driving away potential customers.
Compared to the surrounding bustle, the shop’s business was equally deserted.
Even the apprentice boy inside handling reception had half-lidded eyes, dazed and on the verge of sleep.
Lord Yoshimoto of the Imagawa, as if knowing what Shangshan Che was thinking, spread her hands and explained: “Because it’s too expensive, few people come.”
“Most people don’t need such fine sword weapons, so no reason to waste money here.”
Shangshan Che deeply agreed.
Because back in Aragawa Ghost Village, he hadn’t patronized blacksmith shops much due to being short on funds.
The average quality of these weapons before him was indeed far superior to the grayish-white junk in other blacksmith shops he’d seen.
His gaze swept over piece after piece of green, at least Fine quality swords.
Finally, it settled in the center of the blacksmith shop’s outward-facing full weapon wall display.
Shangshan Che’s breath hitched slightly.
Because that daito, specially placed on a large wooden rack, was emanating a deep purple glow in his eyes!
