bookcurios Chapter 2227-2225 Tokiwahashi Princess
Chapter 2227-2225 Tokiwahashi Princess
Chapter 2227-2.225 Tokiwahashi Princess
As the spirit transformed into three thousand strands of black hair and escaped, Princess Kikuhime, now unable to resist, was immediately wrapped up like a dumpling by the Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon).
The situation that followed was largely the same as before. As long as the last bit of malevolent energy was squeezed out, Princess Kikuhime, along with Maeda Chisa, Yanagihashi Kagakichi, Tokiwazumonji Waka, Lady Miyo, and Prince Tachibana, could be redeemed. As for healing the scars on Princess Kikuhime's face, that was utterly insignificant to Wu Chen's current technology. Even if she were to perish and become a beautiful corpse, she could be resurrected by being placed in a regeneration cocoon.
This is no big deal.
Soon, the grid-like house also turned to ashes in the lead smog.
"Captain, the battle is over." Queen Huanglongtian was still unwilling to let the escaped Mianlingqi demon be defeated. This was clearly a potential problem that had to be dealt with.
"Okay, sister." Captain Yuko, the courtesan of Gobancho, arrived at the next cubicle: "Any finds?"
"We obtained the Evil-Slaying Sword." Queen Huanglongtian explained her understanding of this plot: "Because of the invasion of evil energy and the tempering of demonic energy, these famous swords from the Warring States period have acquired certain characteristics similar to 'natal magic weapons,' which can be used to adapt to the Goddess Device mobile suit."
"I see." Captain Yuko, the courtesan of Gobancho, immediately thought of a similar plot element: "Just like that spider-cutting sword."
“Yes.” Empress Wang, the Demon Queen of Huanglongtian, continued along this line of thought: “The Spider Cutter, the Saddle Cutter Jingxiu, and the Evil-Slaying Sword, these weapons that have killed countless people have all been possessed by demons and become ‘ominous objects’ because they were tainted by the resentment of innocent people. But they are also ‘raw materials’ for refining one’s natal magic weapon.”
"Putting aside good and evil, these 'ominous things' have essentially undergone extraordinary spiritual tempering. They are just one step away from being forged into magical treasures," said Captain Yuko, the courtesan of Gobancho, revealing the essence of the matter.
"That's it." Queen Wang, the Demon Queen of Huanglongtian, smiled happily: "The microcosm flowing from the master's demigod-level divinity can realize the mutual transformation of matter and spirit. This is also the basic mystery of the operation of the Dharma Ring."
"Agreed." Captain Yuko, the courtesan of Gobancho, ended the encrypted video call in a cheerful mood.
The only way to reach the castle tower where the great demon resides is this seemingly ordinary Tokiwa Bridge.
Tokiwa Bridge, an important bridge connecting Edo Castle with the eastern region, spans the Nihonbashi River. It was part of Edo Castle's outer defensive system and a key node leading to the Oshu Kaido (connecting Edo with the Tohoku region). The name "Tokiwa" comes from the *Kinyo Wakashū* (Collection of Golden Leaves and Waka Poems), meaning "evergreen and unfading," symbolizing the enduring stability of the Tokugawa regime. Originally built in 1590 and named "Ōhashi" or "Asakusa-guchi Bridge," it was renamed "Tokiwa Bridge" in the early Edo period. Rebuilt as a stone bridge in 1877, it is now the oldest existing stone bridge in Tokyo.
"Strange." Even after the video call with the Demon Queen Wang Niangniang of Huanglongtian ended, the "Super Brain Area Chain" still hadn't popped up the exact location of this bridge.
"Captain, there seems to be a boat under the bridge." It was Xing Xiaolu, the eldest of the "Four Consorts of Hunyuan" from the Cyber Snake Demon, who had the sharpest eyes.
"I see it." With the help of the armor's visual imaging, Captain Yuko, the courtesan of Gobancho, locked onto the ship's number: Bizenya.
“Bizen-ya Tokuemon.” At this point, the “Superbrain Blockchain” immediately pinpointed the source.
Tokuemon Bizen-ya was a renowned wealthy merchant during Japan's Edo period. He was famous for dealing in commodities such as rice, cotton, and oil, as well as engaging in transnational smuggling. He was considered one of the "Five Great Merchants of Edo," controlling the economic lifeline of Japan, along with Mitsui-Echigo-ya, Ono-gumi, Shimada-ya, and Konoike-ya. Although named "Bizen-ya," he primarily operated in Edo, and his business name originated from his birthplace, Bizen Province. Tokuemon amassed enormous wealth through hoarding and manipulating rice prices. During the Meiwa era, taking advantage of the shogunate's financial difficulties, he secured special privileges by lending money to the shogunate, further consolidating his commercial monopoly. He was ruthless in his pursuit of exorbitant profits, even directly participating in smuggling activities that violated the shogunate's isolationist policy, involving gold, silver, and goods transactions with China, Vietnam, and the Netherlands. In short, he was driven by greed and possessed immense influence.
This Ming Dynasty Fujian-style ship, with its pointed bottom, numerous watertight compartments, and high bow and stern, was known as a "Tang ship" by the people of Edo.
It comes from "Nemuri Kyoshiro: The Demon Sword", which is the story timeline where Princess Kikuhime, who previously transformed into the birth mother of Maeda Chisa of Oku Girls' High School, "Hyakukouin".
Based on the previously discovered anchoring rule of the disordered teleportation of the Purple Coral Spirit Coral, the Tang ship must have gathered all the female characters from the story timeline of "Nemuri Kyoshiro: The Demon Sword".
This story revolves around the series of alluring beauties who appear one after another as the swordsman protagonist. Among them are Princess Kikuhime, the sadistic queen of the Tokugawa shogunate; the mysterious priestess Aoga (Akami Negishi) who uses aphrodisiacs and witchcraft to assassinate the swordsman protagonist; the pitiful girl Suzu (Shiho Fujimura) who sacrifices her virginity to seduce a Western missionary in order to save her brother; Atshin (Masumi Harukawa), the "bird chaser" (women who wear special costumes to drive away birds in the fields to prevent them from pecking at crops) from the Oi River, who is ordered by her husband to bewitch the swordsman protagonist; and the "Kirishi" (a type of female warrior) who is ordered to impersonate a saint. Hiroshima (Nahoko Okubo), who has captured all the followers of the Catholic Church; Ayaji (Kazuko Taniguchi), a "middle-aged lady-in-waiting" (a close attendant of the shogun with the opportunity to be selected as a concubine) and Mino (Kazuko Takamori), a "lowest-ranking servant" (mostly women from towns, living with many others, with very little chance of promotion); Fujio (Michiko Aoi), a middle-aged lady-in-waiting who serves Princess Kikuhime; and the Hakone bride (Inako Maehata), who, according to the ancient custom of "night passage," must give her virginity to a stranger.
The plot is self-explanatory: the wealthy merchant Bizenya Tokuemon colludes with a senior retainer of the shogunate to secretly sell opium for profit. In order to eliminate the protagonist who wants to expose his crimes, he spends a lot of money to win over various masters, including Shaolin monks, and launches a brutal killing spree full of strategy and cunning against the swordsman protagonist.
This Bizen-ya Karabusa ship, used for smuggling, was the final battleground.
It's easy to imagine that, apart from Princess Kikuhime who was captured earlier, the poor girl, the mysterious priestess, the bird-chasing woman, the fake saintess, the Ooku woman, and the bridesmaid were most likely all transported to this ship by the disordered Zishan Linghu.
"It seems we need to use this ship as a prop to move forward," Captain Yuko, the courtesan of Gobancho, had already thought.
“That should be it.” Wu Chen agreed with her assessment: “This is a special kind of ‘grid house.’ Just stepping on it isn’t enough; it has to move.”
"Understood, lord." The courtesan Yuko's team from Gobancho then led the cyber snake spirits "Mixed Origin Four Consorts" toward the Bizen-ya Karasuma ship.
The moment you step onto Tokiwa Bridge, a frozen moment in time quietly unfolds.
The surging fog instantly enveloped the entire bridge, making it possible to see only a person's length in front and behind.
"Everyone be careful." With the help of his female companion's "information," Wu Chen had already glimpsed the sinister intentions hidden in the bridge: "There's a female demon on the bridge."
The Bridge Princess (橋姬) is a female water spirit or deity in Japanese folklore who dwells near bridges, possessing both the attributes of a vengeful ghost and a guardian deity. Her image originates from the legend of a lovelorn woman who drowned herself and became a ghost. The core version is that the goddess of the Uji River, separated from her lover or having her love stolen, drowned herself and became a vengeful ghost harming those crossing the bridge. Common behaviors include luring men to drown at night and dragging beautiful women into the water out of jealousy. Different documents record variations in her form and origin; in the Edo period, she was associated with prostitutes. Toriyama Sekien's *Illustrated Night Parade of One Hundred Demons* depicts her appearing on a stormy night, half-hidden in the water, burning with jealousy, with bridge piles symbolizing her divine attribute related to bridges.
Because it possesses the dual attributes of both a vengeful spirit and a guardian deity, based on the usual naming conventions for yokai, the one we are about to encounter should be—Tokiwahashi-hime.