Chapter 160

"Ms. Akatsuki, could you please wait outside for a moment?"

Before Nanjo Aimi entered the room where heat waves rolled, for some reason she said to Akatsuki Ran, who was practically pressed against someone, "Or you can let Kohinata Bozu take you around for a walk."

"I have no objection."

Akatsuki Ran replied.

She had only just come to the Special Affairs Division; it was normal that there were some places she couldn't go. Anyway, Uesugi Toru wouldn't suddenly run away.

—The moment Uesugi Toru saw the door close, he saw Nanjo Aimi in front of him pull a cigarette from her pocket, clamp it in her mouth, and light it immediately.

Nanjo Aimi took a deep drag, then closed her eyes and exhaled little by little.

The woman's taut complexion visibly relaxed a fraction.

He heard her complain displeasedly, "Too many people in the car, inconvenient to smoke; the Special Affairs Division also prohibits smoking in public occasions, really almost suffocated me, Uesugi-kun."

Uesugi Toru now understood why she had put Akatsuki Ran outside.

If Akatsuki Ran saw this scene, Nanjo Aimi's dignity as a superior would definitely drop a bit.

And as everyone knows, in the eyes of outsiders, Nanjo Aimi has always been taciturn, a cold and serious Onmyo Daizoku.

"Here, the craftsman you're looking for is right ahead."

Nanjo Aimi jerked her chin toward the front.

Uesugi Toru withdrew his attention.

Only then did he see, behind the huge anvil not far ahead, a man standing with a square iron hammer in hand, his muscular upper body bare, grinning at him and revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.

"Yo! You're the Uesugi-kun Nanjo mentioned! I've heard her talk about you plenty of times."

Aoyama Gi wiped the sweat flowing like water with the towel draped over his shoulder, looked him up and down for a moment, and nodded with a smile,

"Seeing you now, you're indeed a fine figure of a man!"

Before Uesugi Toru could speak, he heard a voice from behind,

"This pack is for you."

Then, a pack of cigarettes Uesugi Toru didn't recognize traced a parabola through the air faintly distorted by high temperature and landed steadily in Aoyama Gi's calloused hand.

Aoyama Gi's eyes instantly shone as if he had seen gold.

He tore open the packaging in two or three moves, took one out, touched it to the anvil, and lit the tip using the residual heat left on it.

"Phew~"

Two relaxed exhalations of smoke sounded simultaneously from front and back.

He had originally been wondering why Nanjo Aimi lit up as soon as she entered this side; turns out these two are old smoking buddies.

The man who nearly finished a cigarette in one drag took two more puffs, then said to him, "Uesugi-kun, my name is Aoyama Gi; just call me Aoyama-kun."

Uesugi Toru shifted his gaze, looking at these two, and couldn't help but marvel that this was really full of life.

But then he recalled the two's expressions unconsciously becoming relaxed after lighting up.

—For pressure-resistant kings like Nanjo Aimi and Aoyama Gi, smoking is probably the only means that is both quick and doesn't delay work efficiency to relieve stress.

As for why Aoyama Gi is also called a pressure-resistant king...

Uesugi Toru stared at the various equipment piled like mountains beside that huge anvil, and the iron hammers bent seven ways from Sunday in the scrap basket that had been ruined by hard use.

Heaven knows how long this Aoyama-kun works every day alone in this forging room that sees no natural light and has abnormal high temperatures.

"So."

Aoyama Gi precisely tossed the cigarette butt into the scrap basket, twisted his neck producing a series of cracks: "Uesugi-kun, what do you need from me?"

Uesugi Toru first took out two partially damaged pieces of equipment: "First, repair these two..."

"This is simple."

Aoyama Gi grabbed the Chief Priest Robe and Hina Crown in one hand, hoisted the smallest iron hammer onto his shoulder, smacked his lips twice and snapped his fingers: "I'll cut you in line; half an hour and it'll be done!"

Half an hour?

Uesugi Toru blinked in astonishment.

What efficiency.

You have to understand, these two pieces of equipment aren't simply missing a chunk; they were struck by heavenly thunder until every part has minor issues.

He estimated even a Zashiki-warashi as a Tian Gong Apprentice might not necessarily have this kind of speed.

Seeing his expression, Aoyama Gi couldn't help but laugh heartily: "Uesugi-kun, what do you think I rely on to single-handedly handle the entire Arakawa Ward Special Affairs Division's craftsman business?"

He pointed at himself, thrust out his angular, full chest, and made a "six" gesture: "Weapons and equipment that have passed through my hands, no less than this number."

Six figures...

Uesugi Toru was dumbfounded — this Aoyama-kun either started learning at age three, or opens his eyes every day straight to forging, rivaling Shizuku's cultivation passion.

"Enough about me." Aoyama Gi spread out the Chief Priest Robe, glanced it over twice, confirmed how to repair it, then asked, "Didn't Nanjo say she'd add a spirit soul to your weapon?"

Uesugi Toru nodded, then took out the Foot Light Spirit Soul and that "strange metal even Hundred-Eyed Demon hasn't seen."

He was about to speak, but heard Aoyama Gi's exclamation,

"Qualified Spirit Gold!?"

Aoyama Gi tossed the small iron hammer aside, traversing the heat waves in three steps made two to reach Uesugi Toru's front, not even glancing at the Foot Light Spirit Soul, directly staring fixedly at the golden small ball in his hand, shaken:

"Although it's a bit small... I'm one hundred percent sure I didn't misread it!"

Along with Aoyama Gi's words falling, the panel of the golden small ball in Uesugi Toru's eyes immediately changed.

【Qualified Spirit Gold】

【Quality: Epic】

【Effect: Forge it together with a weapon or equipment; based on the current attributes of that weapon or equipment, it will produce several unknown beneficial effects.】

【—Adaptation, Fusion, Evolution.】

Aoyama Gi leaned close and stared at the Qualified Spirit Gold for a good while, then withdrew his scorching gaze, coughed twice,

"Uesugi-kun! This is an extremely rare 'Spiritual Metal,' so rare that even I have only seen its like in ancient texts."

Aoyama Gi said seriously: "If this Spirit Gold is forged together with a weapon, it can grow or supplement according to the weapon's own will, achieving the maximum improvement tailored to it."

"——Uesugi-kun, what weapon do you plan to fuse it into?"

Uesugi Toru first placed the Qualified Spirit Gold in Aoyama Gi's hand for him to examine closely, and only after satisfying the latter's curiosity and thirst for knowledge did he take out Kaga Kiyomitsu from his waist.

"This is Kaga Kiyomitsu?"

Aoyama Gi had just raised his gaze when he fixed his eyes on Kaga Kiyomitsu's sword hilt and asked.

"No, it's more like a replica."

Uesugi Toru shook his head, causing Kaga Kiyomitsu to tremble with dissatisfaction.

With that tremor, it nearly shook the overflowing Separation Sorrow Domain out.

"Xiao Jia." Uesugi Toru immediately tapped its sword hilt with his knuckles and frowned, saying, "This is someone else's workshop, and the person before you is the Craftsman who will help strengthen you later."

Hearing this, Kaga Kiyomitsu immediately obediently drew back every bit of Separation Sorrow Domain into the blade.

"A Spirit Weapon!?"

Watching this scene, Aoyama Gi's mouth nearly watered.

He suddenly dared not take over this "Kaga Kiyomitsu replica."

Originally, whether it was Qualified Spirit Gold or Spirit Weapons, even though he had never seen the former, he had not handled many of the latter.

However, relying on his vast and terrifying forging experience, Aoyama Gi could still say he was certain of success.

But now it was different.

Qualified Spirit Gold + Spirit Weapon.

This combination that made one envious and cherished to the extreme made Aoyama Gi want to immediately pick up the big iron hammer and forge them.

But unfortunately both were too rare, and the forging difficulty was not small; lacking confidence, Aoyama Gi could only shake his head and sigh.

"Uesugi-kun... I'm afraid I can't help with this."

He reluctantly placed the Qualified Spirit Gold back into Uesugi Toru's hand, turned his head away, and said: "My level isn't enough; I'm afraid I'd ruin the Spirit Gold and the weapon."

Is that so.

"Then, I entrust this Essence to you, and by the way, please ask Aoyama-kun to maintain Xiao Jia."

Uesugi Toru only took back the Qualified Spirit Gold.

——Since even the great Craftsman responsible for all weapons of the Arakawa Ward Special Affairs Division admitted he had no confidence, he seemed to have no choice but to go find the Heavenly Craftsman.

But Heavenly Craftsmen in both the Modern Era and the Chang Shi are hard to come by.

——Forget it; it's not too late to ask Imagawa Yoshimoto for news after returning to the Sengoku Period, and then go find Katsumi.

Aoyama Gi nodded heavily, gently and carefully cradling Kaga Kiyomitsu with his big hand,

"Alright, then Uesugi-kun, come take the weapon tomorrow."

He grinned, holding a cigarette in his mouth, and said: "It's rare to encounter a Spirit Weapon; I will definitely put my whole heart into giving it a full-body spa!"

Kaga Kiyomitsu hummed twice, seemingly expressing slight fear and dissatisfaction.

Uesugi Toru thanked him: "Thank you."

Hum—

Amid Kaga Kiyomitsu's vibrations, Uesugi Toru and Rituna Minami, who carried a faint mint scent on her body, left the Forging Room together.

"The entry permit for the Archive Room has been approved."

Not seeing Akatsuki Ran at the doorway, Rituna Minami said nothing more.

She tossed the ID Card hanging from her neck: "Use my card to swipe in; remember not to be too rough, put things back in place after reading, otherwise you'll annoy the Administrator and won't be able to get in next time."

"So fast?"

Uesugi Toru was somewhat surprised; this was Rituna Minami reporting upward.

In the past, wouldn't it have taken at least several hours to get a reply?

Rituna Minami shrugged: "Because you just won the Shinken Shiai today; how could the higher-ups not show some recognition?"

Now, Uesugi Toru felt even more clearly what Rituna Minami had told him before the Shinken Shiai began.

——Show your potential and strength to this world, and then things will proceed smoothly according to your wishes.

Because the Archive Room only allowed single entry, Rituna Minami only brought him to the doorway before going busy, saying to return the ID Card to her after reading.

Beep.

After a crisp sound, Uesugi Toru saw the alloy door, dozens of centimeters thick, slowly open to both sides.

In an instant, the Archive Room of at least several hundred square meters opened its embrace to him.

As far as the eye could see, there were rows of identical alloy bookshelves.

Immediately, the scent of old paper wrapped around his nose tip.

He was familiar with this scent.

If textbooks from his school days were forgotten after graduation and left in place for a year or two, they would emit a slight "paper smell."

But the Archive Room was filled with this scent.

Following Rituna Minami's instructions, he first walked to the right, put on a shoe cover on his foot, and then asked softly: "May I ask, is the Administrator present?"

Uesugi Toru waited a moment, then saw a slender, fair, jade-like palm, as perfect as a work of art carved from mutton-fat jade, slowly extend from the bookshelf ahead.

It tapped the edge of the alloy bookshelf twice with its fingers to indicate it had heard.

He was stunned.

The "Administrator" was actually just a palm?

Uesugi Toru: "May I ask, could you take me to the location where the archives from the Sengoku Period are stored?"

Although he didn't know whether this Administrator was male or female, or what their strength was, using the honorific "You" would definitely not be wrong.

The palm first turned back to lightly close the archive it had read halfway through, then slid from the bookshelf to the ground, and began leading the way.

Uesugi Toru followed silently behind the Administrator.

After walking a distance, the Administrator paused at the bookshelf marked "61", then ran to the distant bookshelf marked "95" and knocked on it.

"You mean all the archives in here are about the Sengoku Period?"

The palm clenched into a fist, indicating affirmation.

Uesugi Toru's mouth twitched; there were at least hundreds of archives on this row of bookshelves, would he have to search until the Year of the Monkey to find them himself?

Fortunately, Nanjo Sister had said beforehand that if he couldn't find them, he could ask the Administrator.

He had found it strange at the time, but now he understood.

The Special Affairs Division's archives were said to have many gaps, yet the Sengoku Period alone actually had thousands upon thousands of archives.

Uesugi Toru thought for a moment and said: "I want to find archives concerning Imagawa Yoshimoto, the Mikawa Region Uprising in Hongzhi Year 2, and Hattori Hanzo."

The Administrator, like an AI retrieval machine, didn't think twice but directly climbed onto Uesugi Toru's shoulder to point out the direction for him.

Following the direction of the finger, Uesugi Toru found what he wanted before long.

【Life of Imagawa Yoshimoto】.

【Matsudaira Motoyasu and Hattori Hanzo】.

【Speculations Concerning the Multiple Uprisings in Mikawa Province Under Imagawa Yoshimoto's Rule】.

Uesugi Toru opened the first one first, and discovered that its contents indeed differed greatly from what Wikipedia said.

This "Life" not only explicitly stated that Imagawa Yoshimoto governed with diligence, reduced taxes for merchants and vigorously developed the economy, bringing the Imagawa Clan to its peak, but even pointed out that Imagawa Yoshimoto was actually female.

And it likewise mentioned him, that "Stranger Toru" was a powerful Onmyoji who lived in seclusion.

He flipped through more of it, noting down some of Imagawa Yoshimoto's habits and preferences, preparing to verify whether they were true when he returned to the Sengoku Period.

Next was the second archive, concerning that ninja he had seen before leaving, who was pitch-black all over and called "Hanzo" by Imagawa Yoshimoto.

After reading for a while, Uesugi Toru murmured to himself,

"In other words, Hanzo was actually not Imagawa Yoshimoto's retainer, but the Tokugawa old turtle's confidant, a retainer's retainer?"

A retainer's retainer is not my retainer.

This saying applies equally in Japan's Sengoku Period — a lord's words are far more useful than the words of the lord's lord, or even the big figures above them.

Besides that, Uesugi Toru didn't find anything else, merely understanding that the relationship between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hanzo should be very good.

Very good indeed!

He kept a mental eye on Hanzo in his heart, then opened the third archive.

Just as he opened it, a large red warning caught his eye.

——【Great Demon Bewitchment Seems Present】!

This entire archive, after that, first laid out the cause and effect of the Mikawa Region Uprising in great detail.

Then, from various angles it analyzed and expounded the unreasonableness of the Mikawa Region uprising multiple times in a short period.

Finally, the end of the archive gave an unverified speculative conclusion:

——【Mikawa National Elder High Level, Seem Bewitched by Great Demon】.

It wasn't the expected Great Demon slaughtering villages and cities, but a Great Demon possessing both bewitching ability and high intelligence inciting uprisings simultaneously.

This would indeed be difficult to handle in that era when Onmyoji did not emerge into the world.

Uesugi Toru's pupils turned icy.

So, he must seek it out during the first suppression of the uprising, then nip it in the bud.

Slap.

Uesugi Toru closed the archive, looked back at the atomic clock hanging at the doorway, and discovered that the time he took to read these three archives was unusually fast.

He blinked, took out that "Star" Tokugawa Hoshi had given him from his pocket, and saw it emitting a soft faint light.

So it was its effect.

Uesugi Toru pondered, solemnly tied it with thin thread and wore it around his neck, thinking he might have to carry it with him from now on.

Returning the several archives to their original places, Uesugi Toru, arriving at the doorway, softly bid farewell to the palm still turning pages,

"Administrator, thank you for your help, let's meet again next time."

The palm's movement paused slightly, turned its palm toward him, and curled all five fingers down neatly.

Seemed like a bow.

Uesugi Toru likewise returned the bow, then left the Archive Room.

At the doorway, Kohinata Bozu was waiting for him.

More precisely, it was Akatsuki Ran sitting atop Kohinata Bozu's head, looking like she had a very good relationship with her.

Uesugi Toru raised an eyebrow, thinking the naive and pure Hiyobou wouldn't be led astray by this perverted woman, would she?

Hiyobou blinked her small eyes, seemingly completely unaware of what kind of person she was currently sitting atop.

"Uesugi-kun." Akatsuki Ran suddenly spoke, "Unlike you, Hiyobou Miss is very gentle."

She laughed strangely twice: "Just like a mother."

Uesugi Toru: "..."

He decided to go find Rituna Minami first, and while he was at it, give her a heads-up.

Without speaking more with Akatsuki Ran, Uesugi Toru first took the elevator back to the Forging Room and retrieved the two pieces of equipment that had already been repaired.

After telling Rituna Minami about Hiyobou's matter.

Uesugi Toru only then discovered that even though they were in the same abnormally hot Forging Room, Aoyama Gi was already sweating profusely all over, while Rituna Minami hadn't shed even a single drop of sweat.

Looking at it this way, Nanjo Sister's Breathing Technique attainment is also very high.

At the very least, the current him absolutely could not pull off such nonchalance.

Uesugi Toru: "Then, Nanjo Sister, I'll head back first."

"Oh, take care."

Nanjo Rituna leaned against the wall, and just as she was about to shove the half-burning cigarette into her mouth, she grabbed Uesugi Toru by the collar: "Right, give the doll back. You shouldn't have any use for the Shadow Woman anymore, right?"

Doll?

Distant memories began to revive in Uesugi Toru's mind...

Only then did he recall that because the doll only had a middling combat power of Two-Star Half, it seemed he hadn't taken the Nanjo Doll out of the Storage Backpack for a very long time.

And the previous time, the Shadow Woman had still appeared as the hero saving the day.

Uesugi Toru took out the doll, and couldn't help laughing when he saw her start to raise her short cotton-padded hands and throw a tantrum.

Turns out, he had already grown this much without realizing it.

"——Although I can just sleep inside, I can still faintly sense time flowing!"

The Nanjo Doll put her hands on her hips and complained toward her Owner: "Little Ai! Why don't you hurry up and give him a good lesson!"

What are a mere ten or twenty days to a Shadow Woman who has lived hundreds of years?

It passed in almost a single blink.

So Nanjo Rituna ignored it, and after finishing her last cigarette, threw the doll into her own shadow.

The next moment, a "glug-glug" sound like bubbles being blown in water rose up.

After that, nothing else happened.

Uesugi Toru forcibly took away the Two-Shaku Adult who was already clinging to the Wet Woman, and was sent home by a Special Affairs Division minor staffer.

At this moment, inside the Special Affairs Division.

Nanjo Rituna expressionlessly stared at Akatsuki Ran, who had already gotten on good terms with Hiyobou,

"You're not going with him?"

"I still have that much sense of proportion, Nanjo Daimyo." Akatsuki Ran licked her lips under the mask and smiled, "Sometimes to get close you have to play hard to get; attacking too intensely will backfire instead."

Nanjo Rituna neither agreed nor disagreed, reached out to pull Hiyobou back and threw her into the Wet Woman's arms, then said indifferently,

"Then get to adapting to the new job."

"Yes~ Superior Adult."

……

Uesugi Toru had just walked through the door when he saw Shizuku sitting cross-legged in the empty first-floor Dojo, her whole body erupting with Gang Qi.

The next instant.

Bang!

A violent explosion sound transmitted from her body, several sharp streams of Gang Qi grazed past Uesugi Toru's face and embedded into the wall behind him.

"Shizuku?!"

Uesugi Toru's pupils contracted, and he immediately beckoned the Two-Shaku Adult over.

"I'm fine."

Shizuku, her Gang Qi circulating and bursting, raised her pale small face and said flatly: "Just a slight error in my train of thought, but thanks to this, I've also understood the path ahead."

"Cut the nonsense, hug the Two-Shaku Adult first."

Uesugi Toru frowned fiercely, but still stuffed the girl who didn't make a single superfluous movement into Shizuku's arms.

Immediately, the aura on Shizuku's body became noticeably more stable.

Although the Two-Shaku Adult thought in her heart that the flat-chested Demon King had best die quickly, so she'd have no rival.

Her body was still very honest and leaned down, even hugging the girl's waist back with a sullen little face.

A flicker of surprise flashed in Shizuku's eyes, but she still spoke her predetermined words: "I've discovered the Corona Breathing Technique is incomplete."

"Incomplete is normal, right? The Special Affairs Division couldn't possibly hand the entire Corona Breathing Technique to us rookies who had just entered in one go."

Uesugi Toru actually felt nothing was amiss.

"No, that's not the incompleteness I mean." Shizuku said seriously, "Rather, our cultivation up to now is all incomplete, not just the Flesh Palace……"

She was speaking when her words suddenly halted.

Uesugi Toru noticed Shizuku's gaze land on the front of his neck——that exposed blue pointed horn.

"Uesugi-kun, have you met Third Sister?"

Without waiting for Uesugi Toru to answer, Shizuku rare-ly curved her lips and smiled gently,

"Looks like she really likes you."

She reached out, took all the Stars from Uesugi Toru's collar, stared at them quietly and said: "Otherwise, she'd never possibly give it to you... even I wanted it badly back then and Third Sister wouldn't give it to me."

"Over this, I even had a huge fight with her and didn't speak for a week."

Shizuku recalled with unfocused eyes for a while, then reluctantly released the Stars and said word by word,

"Then Uesugi-kun, please make sure not to betray Third Sister's expectations."

These two sisters... their appearance when saying this kind of thing is practically identical.

Uesugi Toru gazed at her and slowly nodded: "I know."

"Mhm, good then."

Shizuku used the time of an exhaled breath to compose herself, then nodded,

"Let's continue the previous topic——accurately speaking, the Breathing Techniques we've cultivated up to now are all incomplete, or you could say 'Youth Version'."

"What do you mean?"

Uesugi Toru couldn't help recalling the previous Prompt where "Gang Qi Circulation" was followed by the two words "Basic".

Shizuku: "Our previous Qi cultivation wasn't 'Internal Organs Fortification, Kishaku, Endless Circulation'?"

"Yes." Uesugi Toru nodded.

"But in reality, it is 'Internal Tempering of Five Viscera, Qi Penetrating Four Extremes, Double Zhou Tian Unceasing'."

Shizuku spoke with clear logic: "Actively rather than passively using Internal Qi to temper the exterior of the Five Viscera, then using breath to penetrate every meridian of the four limbs to connect the whole, and finally completing the perfect circulation of the inner and outer, small and large cycles."

"——Only in this way can the Gang Qi Circulation and cycle be completed."

She frowned and said,

"The first time I discovered something was wrong was when I observed as a third party after you broke through in the Arena."

"At that time I instinctively felt that the Gang Qi circulation had no reason to only be able to achieve this much."

Shizuku pointed at the Notebook in her hand, completely undamaged: "However, it is also thanks to Third Sister's incomparably detailed Cultivation Understanding that I was able to quickly discover and verify 'why it could only achieve this much'."

"Otherwise, I would probably still be painstakingly deducing in my mind until now, and perhaps for a very, very long time I would not necessarily be able to understand these things. Because the path of Cultivation is truly a difference of a hair's breadth leading to an error of a thousand li."

So this Notebook belongs to Tokugawa Hoshi; no wonder Shizuku has always treated it so carefully.

Uesugi Toru thought silently.

So even within the same Tokugawa Home, there seems to be a huge gap between Shizuku and her Brothers and Sisters.

Judging by the current situation, she should have the worst relationship with Tokugawa Haruhiko, and be very close with Third Sister Tokugawa Hoshi... oh, and there is also an Eldest Brother, the Eldest Brother seems to be on okay terms as well.

Apart from that, there is a "Great-Grandfather" who makes Shizuku's face turn cold just at the sight of a Letter.

As for the others, they are non-existent.

Shizuku's incomparably articulate explanation pulled Uesugi Toru's thoughts back,

"——Right now, both I and Uesugi-kun are at the Bottom of the Flesh Palace."

She extended her arm, revealing skin fair and tender enough to be broken by a blow, reflecting a faint fluorescence: "Although I completed Skin Tempering not long ago, just now I tried many times to go back and make up for the past deficiencies but still could not do it at all."

"Therefore I believe we must first perfect the Flesh Palace."

Shizuku clenched her fist: "With this Material foundation, if we turn back and practice in reverse it might be relatively much easier."

This is very Reasonable.

Uesugi Toru nodded in agreement.

But Shizuku fell Silent for a moment, and said softly,

"However, the Corona Breathing Technique still has deficiencies in the Flesh Palace stage, unable to let us Forge a truly magnificent Flesh Palace Hall."

She sighed lightly,

"Without a specific corresponding Breathing Technique, if I have to forcibly deduce it myself, who knows how much time it would take to succeed."

(End of Chapter)