Yoshiwara geisha district, late at night.
Even though it was close to midnight, the bustling streets were still brightly lit, with many pedestrians walking on them. This situation probably wouldn't ease until around 2 or 3 a.m.
Tengen stood atop a tall wooden roof, looking down over the entire Yoshiwara geisha district.
His breathing technique is "Sound Breathing," a branch of "Thunder Breathing" among the five basic breathing techniques. With the help of this breathing technique, his hearing and perception are relatively outstanding. It is precisely because of this that even with Tengen's careful observation, he still failed to find any trace of the ghost, which made Tengen very worried.
"Nothing is amiss, but that's what makes it even stranger. How could a demon conceal its presence so skillfully? Lower Moon... no, could it be Upper Moon?"
Tengen muttered to himself, while also feeling fortunate that he wasn't alone this time. With Chika by his side, even an Upper Moon demon could be swiftly defeated with the help of two Pillars, right?
Tengen let out a breath. After observing the situation without success, he could only temporarily place his hopes on Tanjiro and the others. He then leaped off the wooden house and returned to the inn.
As Tianyuan pushed open the door to the hotel's private room, he stood there, stunned for a moment.
A miniature version of Chinatsu was sitting cross-legged in front of a full-length mirror in the room, with Nezuko smilingly braiding Chinatsu's hair behind her.
As Tengen entered, Nezuko immediately stopped knitting, grabbed Chinatsu's head with both hands as if choking her, and once again transformed into a cat with its fur standing on end, staring warily at Tengen.
However, Tengen was already completely used to Nezuko, the fluffy cat. He smiled and looked at the shrunken Chinatsu, asking with great interest, "Chinatsu, is this ninjutsu?"
"How could that be? But this isn't Blood Demon Art either. Apart from Nezuko and me, I've never seen anyone else who can change size at will," Chika replied, shrugging her shoulders.
Tengen was just joking around; ninjutsu isn't some kind of superpower. He casually found an empty spot in the room, sat cross-legged on the ground, and his expression quickly became serious.
“Chika, the demon hidden in Yoshiwara's entertainment district might just be an Upper Moon demon,” Tengen said seriously, but Chika's reaction was surprisingly calm.
Aren't you surprised?
"Ah... Tanjiro's nose is very sensitive. Demons below the Lower Moon level can't escape his nose's detection. And since you came back after observing without success, it's normal to assume that the target is an Upper Moon."
Because Nezuko was braiding her hair, Chinatsu couldn't even turn her head. She just faced the life-sized mirror and forced herself to make up a story.
After all, she couldn't say that she knew Upper Moon Six was hidden in the red-light district and that's why she followed him there.
Tengen felt that Qianxia's explanation was both reasonable and somehow off.
"Since there's an Upper Moon hidden here, it's too dangerous for those three brats to sneak in. Maybe we should send them back."
Tengen sat cross-legged on the ground, arms crossed, asking Chinatsu's opinion. He believed that Tanjiro's rank was too low, and continuing to stay might lead to a pointless sacrifice.
To live is to win. We cannot miss the chance to live because of a moment of bravado. Besides, the three of them are still young and have witnessed the battle against Upper Moon Three. If they survive and continue to grow, they may become stronger than themselves in the near future.
However, since these three were brought by Chinatsu, Tengen needs to ask Chinatsu's opinion.
Hearing Tianyuan's words, Qianxia calmly replied without changing her expression, "Tianyuan, you still underestimate the three of them. Trust them; the three of them are more than capable of handling this."
In the Demon Slayer Corps, apart from the [Pillars], there are ten ranks from strongest to weakest: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, G.
Zenitsu and Inosuke undoubtedly reached the level of "Class A swordsmen" among the Demon Slayer Corps members of this era, while Tanjiro, who uses Hinokami Kagura, has already stepped halfway into the realm of "Pillars".
As time went by, Tanjiro and his companions became quite familiar with the various brothels, and at the same time, they obtained some information about Tengen's three wives.
Hinatsuru, who went missing from the Kyogoku-ya brothel that Zenitsu was in charge of, fell seriously ill and vomited blood, so she left the brothel.
Maki, who went missing from the Ogimoto-ya store under Inosuke's jurisdiction, said she was feeling unwell and had locked herself in her room.
Suma, who went missing from the house where Tanjiro was in charge, left behind a diary saying that he had escaped.
Three days later, late at night.
Inside the Kyogoku-ya, Zenitsu continued to try his best to act as a new geisha in the shop's corridor. Although he usually seemed unreliable, he was still very attentive to such important matters.
As he was carrying the things someone had asked him to move through the corner of the corridor, a formally dressed and elegant woman brushed past him.
In that fleeting moment as they brushed past each other, both the woman and Zenitsu noticed something unusual about the other.
Zenitsu: A demon... It's definitely a demon. Could this oppressive feeling be... the Upper Moon?
Daki: Hmm? That breathing... someone from the Demon Slayer Corps?
Daki's lips curled up slightly, and then she raised her foot and kicked Zenitsu directly.
Bang!!!
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Zenitsu, who had no Nichirin Blade at hand, was unable to defend himself with the blade. He swiftly slammed into the wall in the distance, creating a loud crash.
With that kick, Daki became even more certain of her judgment: the person she had kicked was indeed a member of the Demon Slayer Corps.
As the sound rang out, some people who were sleeping were woken up and came to the corridor. However, when they saw that it was Daki, they all quickly shut their mouths.
Inside Kyogoku-ya, it's commonplace for Daki to hit others for various reasons, and even the owner and his wife can't stop her from doing so.
As Daki's eyes widened, the crowd that had come from the surrounding area quickly left, while Daki continued to look at the "woman" she had kicked away.
"Finally here... I've been waiting so long. There should be more than just her... There should be [Pillars] too. Great, great. Now my record for the number of Pillars I've eaten can go from 7 to 8."
Daki muttered to herself, and just as she was about to turn around and continue to cast her long line to catch a big fish, she suddenly realized that Zenitsu, whom she had kicked away, was not lying on the ground. Although he was a little twisted, he was still standing.
His eyes rolled back, and he clenched his teeth. He had used his deflection technique to neutralize much of the force of the attack from Daki.
Although he didn't have a Nichirin Blade, that didn't stop him from using Thunder Breathing.
"Breathing of Thunder - First Form: Thunderclap Flash - Six-Hit Combo!"
Zenitsu tightened his stance and charged forward, his body transforming into lightning as he approached the still-unresponsive Daki, carrying her out of the Kyogoku house.
Upon hearing this sound, both Tanjiro, who was in the room at the time, and Inosuke, who was in the room at the time, reacted instantly.
Zenitsu has started fighting the demons!!!
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