Nobunaga Oda's Isekai Cultivation Experience

Waking an hour or so before the dawn, Nobu was unsurprised to see the raven-haired woman near the pool of water, the low light of the cave glistening on her fair skin as she used a large sponge to carefully clean herself.Had he not awoken in the middle of the night to find her snoozing at the side of the cave, Nobu might have thought she never slept. She was always awake when he went to bed, and, no matter how early he awoke, she was already in the middle of her morning routine.After staring a little longer than he should have, Nobu rolled to a seated position and asked, "Is it normal for a girl to expose themselves like this? Shouldn't be like...I don't know...more reserved?"Without bothering to look back, Yui shook her head, voice as frigid as the outside temperature as she explained, "Though I have yet to earn the qualification, it is my dream to become a respected and highly dignified warrior. If something as base as nudity bothered me, a clever enemy would be able to easily exploit such a weakness..."As this was his first time hearing about her 'dream', Nobu's brows perked up as he leaned forward and asked, "Is that what's popular this day and age? Becoming a warrior? I can understand why you would want to become strong, but shouldn't your dream be something...bigger? I'm not really sure how to put it..."Rather than respond to the questions asked, Yui half-turned to face Nobu, a serious expression on her face as she said, "You truly are an irredeemably arrogant man...tell me, what is your dream? For you to judge mine as 'small', yours must be something substantial, correct?"Contrary to Yui's expectations, Nobu gestured in a dismissive manner as he unhesitantly answered, "Nah. I don't really have something like a dream. I'd be happy so long as I have a good woman to warm my bed, a roof over my head, and plenty of food to put on the table. If I did have a dream...I guess it would be to return home? I would also like to get out of this cave and get...eh, whatever..."Though he was going to say he wanted to get as far away from her as possible, Nobu felt it was a little too early in the day to be a complete ass. Instead, he rose to his feet, stretching his body as he said, "Well...to each their own. I just think a dream should be something difficult to obtain. As far as I can tell, you're pretty strong. Unless there are some assholes trying to prevent you from becoming one, I don't see what would stop you from becoming a warrior. Even there are, you should just tell them to fuck off. I sure as hell wouldn't let some old farts tell me what I can and can't become..."Even without asking her for the details, Nobu could make a few guesses regarding the raven-haired woman's situation. This world seemed to be filled with cliches, and, based on how she behaved till now, it wasn't difficult to imagine her belonging to a conservative family that opposed her decision to become a warrior. At the very least, this would explain why she was so 'intense' all the god damn time.Not expecting to hear such words from Nobu, of all people, Yui found herself at a momentary loss for words. Soon after, however, she shook her head, resignation audible in her tone as she said, "It isn't that simple...a warrior who has abandoned their family and values is no better than a beast..."Disagreeing vehemently with this sentiment, Nobu found himself scoffing as he said, "That kind of thinking is just retarded. People don't get to choose their family. Saying shit like that is like saying a newborn is fated to become a killer just because their parents were killers. That kind of 'convenient' thinking is the type of shit corrupt politicians and criminals use to cling to power. If you're seriously surrounded by people telling you to give up on your dream, they aren't family, they're self-serving cunts."Glowering in response to Nobu's words, a golden dagger manifested in Yui's hand as she warned, "I will not tolerate such callous words. If you continue to speak without regard for the consequences, I will be forced to defend the honor of my family..."Though he knew she was being 'very' serious, Nobu was beginning to feel a little fed up. As a result, he shrugged in a 'do something' kind of gesture before sarcastically stating, "Yeah, because proud and honorable families teach their descendants to kill anyone who dares to speak out against them. That isn't the behavior of a tyrannical or extremely petty family. Nope. Not at all."Gritting her teeth, the glare on Yui's face became progressively more intense with each word that left Nobu's mouth. When he was finally finished, she could barely hold herself back as she asked, "Are those your last words...?"Feeling a sudden and intense urge to laugh, an incredulous chuckle emanated from Nobu's throat as he stared directly into the woman's eyes and answered, "If you're looking for something to put on my tombstone, write "I told you so" in bold letters. That way you can clearly recall it whenever your family forces you to do something you don't really want to do...you fucking hypocrite..."With her eyes widening from rage and indignation, Yui charged forward, left hand grasping Nobu's neck as she slammed into the wall and hissed, "Why must you force my hand like this!? Can't you at least pretend to be sensible!?"Glaring back at the woman with resolute eyes, Nobu squeezed her wrist as hard as he could before answering, "Look at the positions we're in...I'm not forcing you to do shit...you're the one in control. Don't try to shift the blame to me...just because you are too afraid to live your own life..."Punctuating his words, Nobu attempted to knee the woman in her non-existent chest but the only thing he managed to accomplish was sending a sharp pain through the entire limb. In response, Yui pulled him forward before slamming him into the wall a total of three times. Then, with a frustrated noise that might have sounded cute under different circumstances, she dropped him to the ground before grabbing her clothes and storming out of the cave in a huff...------Though he was lying face-down on the ground, Nobu made no attempt to move. The chill present within the ground made the pain radiating through his body feel a little less extreme. Thus, for the better part of ten minutes, he just lay there thinking about how things had devolved to this point in such a short period of time.When he first heard the woman mention her dream, Nobu had been genuinely curious. He was also sick and tired of just sitting in silence most of the day, so, in the hope of increasing their familiarity, he decided to make small talk. Instead, things quickly devolved into an argument, and, as a result of a sudden onset of 'death seeking disease', he, once again, found himself nursing various injuries..."Seriously...what is it about that woman that gets me so riled up? If I find out this was some bullshit plot to force us to fall in love, I'm seriously going to punch that Goddess in the face..."As those words left his mouth, Nobu was surprised to hear a pinging sound similar to a phone that had just received a text. Immediately thereafter, the stone tablet plopped down next to his hand, so, after staring at it for several seconds, he picked it up to see the words 'You Have 1 New Message' at the top of the screen.Swiping down out of habit, Nobu's expression froze as he realized he hadn't attempted this during his experimentation. This was actually a common action when operating a smartphone, but, due to the lack of any indicators or notifications, it had completely slipped his mind. Now, not only could he see the message notification, he could also check the date, time, and, most importantly, access the Home screen..."Fuck my life..."Though he had a lot more to say, Nobu decided to save his self-deprecating remarks for later. For now, he had more important things to do, so, after a very brief moment of hesitation, he clicked on the notification informing him he had received a new message. This caused the app that resembled a golden thought bubble to open, but, instead of showing him the message, it took him to a screen that resembled an account/profile creation window."Private name, public alias, age, sex, cultivation base, likes, dislikes, and preferences...what is this, a fucking dating app?"Shaking his head, Nobu rolled onto his back and began filling in his information using the onscreen keyboard. In the end, it didn't matter if it was a Cultivation Chat Group, a Dating App, or something completely mundane. It was a part of his golden spoon, and, more importantly, something he could use to pass the time when he wasn't clicking, exercising, or sleeping.Since it wouldn't let him falsify his information, Nobu entered his real information before choosing the name Lord Cookie as his public alias. He might have complained about it in his previous life but the notion of having genuine cultivators refer to him as Lord or Venerable Cookie was too amusing to ignore. Unfortunately, the button he thought was supposed to lock in his selection turned out to be a 'randomizer' function. This changed his public alias to 'Demon King of Sixth Heaven', the name ascribed to the original Oda Nobunaga due to the atrocities he committed against Buddhist monks."Are you for real? Seriously, whoever keeps messing with me, you need to get a life. Sure, I might not have been a Saint in my previous life, but this is bullshit..."While saying that, Nobu attempted to change his public alias back to Lord Cookie only to find that the name had been taken. Every other name he input gave a similar message, and, as a result, a line of text appeared beneath the input window, saying: 'Having trouble? Try one of these suggestions!' before proceeding to suggest 'Demon King of Sixth Heaven' a total of ten times."..."Closing the app, Nobu returned to the Home screen with the intention of trying out his camera app. He didn't enjoy being fucked with, so, even if the messenger app turned out to be his most valuable cheat, he didn't give a damn. If he had a field of fucks to give, anyone who happened upon it would find it barren and lifeless.Content to let the messenger app remain closed till the heat death of the universe, Nobu thumbed the camera app. Shortly thereafter, he felt a strange feeling on his fingertips, and, after turning the tablet over, he noticed there were now three cameras present near the top left."Nice..."Flipping the phone back over, Nobu noticed that the screen was now displaying everything visible through the cameras. This made it seem like a normal camera app, but, the moment he pressed the capture button, a message asking, 'Would you like to spend 10AU to scan this scene?' appeared on the screen.Though 10AU was the equivalent of four hours of clicking, Nobu's curiosity ended up getting the better of him. Thus, after a moment of consideration, he ended up pressing confirm. Immediately thereafter, a strange pulse erupted from the camera like a flash. This caught Nobu by surprise, but, after calming down, he looked at the display to find several tiny boxes denoting various parts of the cave. Clicking them caused the boxes to expand, and, as a result, Nobu could feel his pulse begin to race as he muttered, "Holy shit..."

Tapping each of the squares, Nobu was over the moon to see information related to various objects appear on the screen. Most of it was complete gibberish, filled with question marks, but, so long as he spent additional Aura, he could even analyze the composition of the surrounding rock strata.Simply put, Nobu's Camera functioned similarly to the Appraisal ability commonly found in novels with RPG and System elements. What distinguished his Camera from the norm was that every new object he scanned had a related Achievement. For common items, there were even Achievements pertaining to the number of objects he had analyzed."This explains why the Achievement Tab continues on forever...it's almost like it wants me to scan every object in existence..."Though he could really use it effectively at the moment, Nobu was looking forward the spamming the camera function in the future. He had already confirmed it possessed the ability to scan living creatures by targeting a few pill bugs. It didn't show values for things like health, but, so long as he was careful, he could use it to discover somethings strengths, weaknesses, rank, and total Aura."If this works on humans, I bet I could make a fortune as an information broker..."Since the 'premium' version of the scan even included a basic biography of the target, there was a very real chance he could use it to ascertain a person's deepest, darkest, secrets. The only downside was that it seemed to require additional Aura depending on the size and rarity of an object.After investing an additional 3 Aura, Nobu had been able to determine things like its composition, purity, and printing date of a gold coin. When he tried the same with an expensive herb, the cost of a comprehensive analysis shot up to 18,492 Aura. This was far beyond his means, so, at least for the time being, he had to settle on identifying pebbles, handfuls of snow, and parts of his body.Though some might consider it a waste, Nobu had laughed his ass off after giving in to his curiosity and taking a 'dick pic'. It cost him an additional 20 Aura to analyze, but, in exchange, he got to learn its exact length, health, and, somewhat amusingly, the name and number of times he had slept with a woman. There was even a value accounting for the number of times he had jerked off, but, thanks to his reincarnation, he could now proudly proclaim he had had more sex than the number of times he had masturbated: 0."Just call me Chad Thundercock from now on..."Amused by his own meta-humor, Nobu chuckled before getting comfortable on the thatch mat that had served as his bedding for the past five days. Now that he had calmed down and learned how broken his Camera App was, he was seriously considering revisiting the Messenger App. The alias 'Demon King of Sixth Heaven', while extremely cringe, was also pretty cool. He just needed to get strong enough to smack the shit out of anyone who dared laugh at him."Well...it's whatever..."On that dismissive note, Nobu opened the Messenger App to find that he was no longer in the profile creation menu. Whatever asshole was in charge of moderating the App seemed to have taken the liberty to complete it for him. As a result, he found himself in an interface that greatly resembled Discord, a popular instant-messaging platform back on Earth. The only real difference was that there was only a single server, and, other than himself, the member list was completely empty.Though it was a relief to discover he was the Admin of the server, Nobu felt it was kind of useless if he was the only member. Fortunately, or perhaps not, there was a tiny (1) beneath the golden cloud icon in the upper left of the app. Clicking on it revealed his completely empty Friend's List and a tab for Direct Messages. This was a method for people to send private messages to other users, and, as his notification had made apparent, there was a single message sitting in his Inbox."Transcendent Goddess of the Six Paths? Don't tell me my first contact is a fucking Narutard..."Before he had even finished speaking, a chill ran through Nobu's body as a (2) popped up next to the unnecessarily wordy username. This gave him an overwhelming urge to simply ignore the two messages, but, having already formed his resolve to make the most of his golden spoon, he ended up clicking the name after the message count reached (5).------------------------------------Transcendent Goddess of the Six Paths: I dare you to try. (Sent at: 06:42am)Transcendent Goddess of the Six Paths: You're really pushing your luck. (Sent 43s ago.)Transcendent Goddess of the Six Paths: Do you dare to ignore me? (Sent 18s ago.)Transcendent Goddess of the Six Paths: If you don't respond in the next three seconds, your next incarnation will be a mollusk. (Sent 5s ago)Transcendent Goddess of the Six Paths: You've successfully pissed me off. Congratulations. (Sent: Just now.)------------------------------------Though he normally wouldn't care, Nobu felt a heavy sensation against his chest as he read each of the messages. It was like someone was piling massive weights on his body, and, after a few seconds had passed, even breathing became difficult.Gritting his teeth, Nobu began rapidly typing a reply of his own. It might have been easier to just speak out loud, but, thanks to the pressure on his chest, speaking freely would be impossible.------------------------------------Demon King of Sixth Heaven: Are you the one doing this? What's your problem?Transcendent Goddess of the Six Paths: Oh? You finally replied? I guess you haven't given up on life just yet.Demon King of Sixth Heaven: You didn't answer my question. Seriously, cut it out. What did I ever do to you? Don't you have anything better to do than making my life more difficult?Transcendent Goddess of the Six Paths: ...Transcendent Goddess of the Six Paths: Are you seriously this dense?------------------------------------Reading the last message, Nobu's doubts regarding the Goddess' identity were all but resolved. She was clearly the Goddess who had reincarnated him. What he couldn't understand was why she was tormenting him. Sure, he had said some brash remarks but she was a literal fucking Goddess. It wasn't like he could actually do anything to her.Shaking his head, Nobu decided to try and nip the problem in the bud. His life was already stressful enough without an unhinged and clearly bored Goddess interfering with his affairs.------------------------------------Demon King of Sixth Heaven: Look, I'm sorry. I was pissed off and you were the only person I could think of to assign blame. Had I known you could actually hear me, I wouldn't have said anything at all. Can we just drop this? Please?Transcendent Goddess of the Six Paths: It seems you aren't a complete fool...Transcendent Goddess of the Six Paths:: Very well. We will be magnanimous and let you off the hook just this once. Be grateful, human. This is the last mercy you will ever receive from us.------------------------------------Feeling his temples pulsing, almost as if he were about to have an aneurysm, Nobu took advantage of the fact the pressure had disappeared to take a number of deep breaths. Then, doing his best to not even think bad thoughts about the ostensibly petty Goddess, he typed:------------------------------------Demon King of Sixth Heaven: Thanks. I will remember this kindness for the rest of my life...Transcendent Goddess of the Six Paths: *thumbs up emoji*-Transcendent Goddess of the Six Paths has gone offline-------------------------------------Releasing a sigh of relief, Nobu set down his tablet before habitually covering his eyes using his forearm. As frustrating as this experience had been, it taught him that the Gods could not only see what he was doing, they could even interfere with him. The pressure he had experienced had been very real, so, despite feeling a deep, seething, rage, he did his best to remain calm as he considered his options.Thinking back to the day he reincarnated, Nobu could clearly recall the Goddess complaining about other Reincarnators thinking they could oppose the Gods. Since she was able to interact with him, it was highly likely that a way to transition between the 'mortal' world and 'heaven' existed. He had no intention of confronting the Gods, but, if he played his cards right, there was a chance he could find a way to enter their realm and return.Based on his dealings with the Goddess, the Gods were a lot more human than most people would have expected. They clearly had their own personalities, wants, and needs, so, if he could obtain the favor of a reasonable powerful God, he might be able to secure passage back to Earth. This would undoubtedly require him to give up his cheat, but, even if it were only for a moment, Nobu would give up everything just to speak with his mother and tell her he was okay...As that thought crossed his mind, a solemn expression appeared on Nobu's face as he resisted the urge to swear. Then, after brooding in silence for the better part of twenty minutes, he rolled to his feet, stretched his body, and started to exercise...---Though it had been more than an hour since she finished gathering food and supplies, Yui found herself unable, or, more accurately, unwilling to return to the cave. Her anger had settled long ago, and, ever since then, she had been shifting between thinking about Nobu's words and agonizing over what kind of reaction her Grandmother might have should she arrived without him.Even an infant would be able to understand that Nobu didn't want to accompany her back to the Yoshitsune Clan. She could probably convince him by explaining the situation to him, but, in reality, even she didn't know why her Grandmother wanted him brought back to the Clan.According to the mission briefing, Nobu was supposed to be a mentally handicapped individual without the means to care for himself. This was a stark contrast to the reality right in front of her eyes, but, based on her findings, it wasn't long ago that he was exactly as the report described. In fact, now that she thought about it, there was a very real chance that he had somehow overcome his disability moments before their initial meeting."Could he have consumed some sort of heavenly treasure? That would help to explain his abnormal growth but how would Grandmother know about this? More than a month had passed by the time I arrived in Owari-Asai. If Grandmother had somehow learned that he would come into possession of a heavenly treasure, she would have come to retrieve it herself..."Exhaling a sigh, Yui realized there were a number of incongruencies with her current situation. This, combined with Nobu's words, filled her with doubts. She found herself questioning everything, and, for the first time in her life, she was seriously considering escaping across the sea. Belonging to the Yoshitsune Clan had never brought her happiness. Instead, it had forced innumerable burdens upon her, and, no matter how much she excelled compared to her peers, she was always a single mistake from being forced to sacrifice herself for the Clan's benefit."I really am a hypocrite...I lecture people on honor and pride yet here I am, seriously considering turning my back on six-thousand-years of history. Maybe the Elders were right about me...I'm just a coward who only thinks about themself..."Smiling in a self-deprecating manner, Yui manifested a short golden dagger from her aura, obsidian blue eyes fixated on its blinding, razor-sharp, edge as she mumbled, "Maybe it would be better if I just put an end to everything...I wonder if ritual suicide can restore the honor of someone who has seriously considered betraying their family? At the very least, I can avoid being labeled a coward..."Though it was only a single crystalline droplet, a tear managed to liberate itself from Yui's eyes, accurately striking the blade's edge. This was followed by a sniffle, but, after wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, all evidence of her passing despair had been erased. Then, for reasons she wouldn't be able to put into words, Yui looked in the direction of the cave and muttered, "I wonder if that man would laugh if he saw me like this..."(A/N: Stay strong, Yui...)

With his first attempt nearly resulting in a bad end, Nobu temporarily gave up on escaping and focused all his attention on the stone tablet. Using up his stockpile brought his total score to just under 880, so, using the conversion method he had figured out on day one, he estimated that 10 days had passed since his reincarnation.At the present moment, Nobu's main focus was figuring out how to navigate to the Home screen and access the other two Apps he had seen. There was a chance he could only open a single App for his entire reincarnation but he wanted to believe this wasn't the case. After all, while he enjoyed Clicker Apps quite a bit, it wasn't like he stared at the screen all day without doing anything else. It was basically something he did to occupy his hands when he had nothing better to do, much like a fidget spinner or a Rubix cube.Simply put, Nobu was bored out of his mind, so, while the raven-haired woman was out gathering food and supplies, he was hunched over the stone tablet, mumbling, "Come on you bastard...there has to be a way to navigate back to the Home screen..."Turning the tablet over, sideways, and upside down, Nobu traced the tips of his fingers along every visible surface. He tried pressing the area where the volume and power buttons would normally be located, tapping the bottom of the 'screen', and, when all else had failed, he even booped it with his nose after recalling the events of his first day. When that failed, he tried voice commands, and, after turning over his mind to find a solution, he even tried giving it orders by referring to it as Alexa and Cortana.Unfortunately, each of Nobu's efforts ended in vain, so, after thumbing through the Achievement Tab for the better part of an hour, he eventually set it aside, dropped to his chest, and started doing push-ups. He literally had nothing better to do, so, much like a prison inmate, he decided he might as well get swole.Though the notion of building them from scratch was profoundly annoying, Nobu was someone who had spent the better part of ten years exercising. It had helped him deal with his bully problem, and, once he began sneaking into clubs, his physique became instrumental in helping him hunt for a place to crash. He didn't like staying at home, so, while it had worried his mother to no end, there were more than a few occasions where he had spent the night with women he had just met.In hindsight, Nobu knew he was lucky he hadn't received an STD. This was also the reason he hadn't panicked when he awoke to find the raven-haired woman straddling his hips. He had experienced a bit of misfortune during his second-ever visit to a nightclub. He made the mistake of believing that only lone girls were the target of getting roofied, but, after ingesting what he thought was MDMA, he awoke to find himself in a hotel with two women more than twice his age. They ended up giving him around $300 to keep his mouth shut, but, from that moment on, he did his best to avoid taking drugs and drinking from glasses that weren't given to him by the barkeep...Finding himself unable to do even twenty pushups without needing to bend the knee, a frustrated sigh escaped Nobu's throat as he instantly switched to abdominal crunches. His Aura only seemed to activate when he was on the verge of death, unbelievably angry, or extremely excited. This meant it was either directly related to or empowered by emotions. Thus, at least for the time being, he had nothing but his twig-like arms and scrawny ass legs to aid in his exercising."Tsst...tsst...tsst...tsst...!"Determined to regain his six-pack abs, Nobu managed to pump out a solid fifty crunches before he felt like something might tear in his lower abdomen. This wasn't enough to deter him, however, so he immediately rolled to his side and began doing planks using his elbow as support. After that, he switched to leg lifts, butterfly kicks, mountain climbers, squat thrusts, and, once everything else was said and done, he wrapped up his first set with eight-counter bodybuilders and star jumps.Using the system he had adopted back on Earth, Nobu took the opportunity to get some clicking in as he rested. When he was in his prime, he would exercise for thirty minutes before spending ten to twenty letting his body cool down. He would repeat this for upwards of four hours every single day, and, though he had never gone pro, he had managed to dominate people in the same weight class when he took up MMA. If his mom didn't have a panic attack every time he came home with even a minor cut or bruise, he might have made a career out of knocking heads."Haaa...haaa...haaa....this fucking sucks..."Remembering his mother, Nobu placed his forearm over his eyes, not because he was crying but because it just felt like the right thing to do. The pressure against his eyelids was strangely relaxing, and, with his eyes closed, it was a lot easier to forget he was trapped in a world far from the home he had once avoided..."Fuck..."---Returning from her gathering, Yui found Nobu sprawled out on the ground, a robust aroma tickling her nostrils as she stared at his shirtless, gaunt, and, sweat-laden body. She could tell he had been training, and, while his methods were likely inefficient, it was refreshing to see him making an effort after watching him spend the last week lazing about like a wastrel."I can't teach you my techniques but I can offer advice regarding the imperfections in your training method. Show me what you've come up with."Though he was tempted to give the woman the finger and tell her to fuck off, seeing her set down a satchel filled with fruits, nuts, and berries caused Nobu to remain silent. She had been taking care of him for the past couple of days, and, ever since they left the inn, she had stopped injuring him at every available opportunity. They had also fucked for the better part of a full day, so, while he had no reason to do what she told him, he didn't have to be a dick about it.In the end, Nobu just shook his head, answering, "I'm in no condition to continue pushing myself. I just spent the last two hours working every major muscle group of my body. If you're that eager to see me working out, you can wait till tomorrow.""Eager....? Me...?"Pointing towards herself, Yui adopted the most offended look Nobu had seen on her face thus far. She wasn't angry or anything. Instead, she appeared baffled, almost like a teacher who had heard their student confidently state they were wrong regarding the subject they were most familiar with.Amused by the reaction, a smile spread across Nobu's face as he answered, "Don't think I didn't see you checking me out when you walked in. For someone who assaults a person for simply looking at them, it's somewhat ironic that you let your own eyes wander. Wouldn't you agree?"Snorting through her nose, Yui elected not to respond to Nobu's obvious taunt. The concept of tact seemed completely foreign to him, and, ever since she had discovered his true identity, she lost the ability to harm him. Rather, she was still looking for an opportunity to apologize, as, the moment they reached the Yoshitsune Clan, it would become a problem if he went around telling people she assaulted him."Very well...I will wait until tomorrow..."Seeing the woman assume an uncomfortable seiza position, promptly ignoring him, Nobu adopted a slight frown. It was still early in the morning and he was honestly tired of spending the entire day in absolute silence. Thus, with a grunt, he rolled to a seated position, elbows resting on his knees as he asked, "How can you sit like that? Doesn't it hurt your knees?"Without shifting her attention from the Yuzu she was peeling, Yui flatly answered, "This is the basic sitting posture of a warrior. It might be uncomfortable in the beginning, but, so long as you remain steadfast, your body will adapt. It also helps to improve posture and respond to surprise attacks, so, to answer your questions...easily and not anymore..."Nodding his head, Nobu appeared as if he understood what Yui was trying to covey. The latter had already become wise to this, however, so she immediately followed up by adding, "Don't...if you say something stupid or insensitive you'll be going hungry the rest of the day. Nutrition is important for maintaining good health and recovering from injuries. Don't do something you'll regret."Rolling his eyes, Nobu resisted the temptation to point out that she would undoubtedly give him something to eat if he threatened to go out and get it himself. Unfortunately, there was a very real chance she might just tie him up and force him to remain put. She had all the makings of a Yandere with BDSM tendencies, so, rather than risk being tied up, gagged, and forced to shit in a bucket on demand, he rolled onto his back and grumbled, "You're such a hardass..."Though she frowned in response to Nobu's remark, Yui decided to just ignore it. She didn't want to waste time arguing with him, and, after eating, she still needed to meditate for at least ten hours. If she arrived at the clan with a lower cultivation base than the one she left with, her detractors would surely notice. There were no real penalties for using a forbidden technique, ignoring the actual side-effects, but that wouldn't stop them from using it as a justification for why she shouldn't be allowed to become a warrior. The Sixth Elder of the Oda Clan was still eager to accept her as his seventeenth Concubine, so, in order to curry favor with the ambitious old man, her family would readily offer her as a tribute.As this notion crossed her mind, Yui was surprised to realize she actually felt relieved to have given her virginity to save Nobu's life. This would significantly reduce her value as a Concubine, as, due to their high pride, Nobles rarely accepted 'impure' women into the ranks of their harem. They would be worried that the woman would betray them or that their sexual prowess would be compared to another. This was unacceptable, so, unless they had personally killed the other man and stolen his wife, a common occurrence between rival families, it was rare for a Noble to accept 'spoiled goods'.Restraining a smile, Yui continued peeling fruits until she had readied enough for both herself and Nobu. There was a non-negligible chance her actions had inadvertently endangered his life, but, considering the alternative had been guaranteed death, he didn't really have ground to stand on if he wanted to complain. It was his own ignorance that led to him overdosing on the Dragon's Vigor, and, while he had done it to save her, she had returned the favor by saving him. In that regard, they were equally culpable, and, depending on the situation, they would both be put to death as a result of their carelessness...Comforted by this notion, a hint of a smile appeared on Yui's face until she noticed that Nobu was staring directly at her. This caused the rare phenomenon to instantaneously disappear, but, perhaps as a result of her previous warning, he didn't say anything callous to infuriate, annoy, or exacerbate the situation. Instead, he just closed his eyes, arms supporting his head as he pretended he hadn't seen a thing.........(A/N: Cohabitate long enough and, even if you hate each other, you can learn to live together...)

Chapter 16: Death Seeking Disease: The Bane of Young Masters