Chapter 12 Encounter
After chasing Tokito Etsu away, Iwakatsu had a bad feeling. He felt that if he didn't leave, the mission would fail.
Although there was no punishment for failing the mission, Yan Sheng was a bit of a perfectionist. He wanted to complete all the plot points in the original work, even if there were some discrepancies. He just felt uncomfortable if he didn't follow them.
Why don't you leave now?
Yan Sheng cautiously opened a crack in the window, glimpsing the slightly pale sky, before slamming the window shut. Fine, he'd have to stay here. Yan Sheng could only set up the chessboard again, trying to kill time by himself. He missed his phone terribly; his chess game was practically worn out.
The time has come; it's midday when the sun is at its strongest.
Shi Touyue, who had tossed and turned until dawn yesterday before finally falling asleep, slowly woke up this time. After getting dressed and going out to get toiletries from the shop assistant, her eyes caught sight of the tightly closed door next door.
"Has the gentleman who came with me not gotten up yet?"
Shi Touyue asked casually, thinking that Yan Sheng should be reading or doing something. But the shop assistant gave him a completely different answer.
"That guest had an emergency yesterday and left. Look at my memory, he asked me to say hello to you after you get up."
As she spoke, the shop assistant discreetly glanced at Shi Touyue's expression, worried that he might show the slightest displeasure.
"ah?"
Shi Touyue was a little surprised and felt a pang of regret. He hadn't expected Yan Sheng to leave yesterday. His initial desire to explore the town had largely vanished, and he decided to look for any merchant groups departing in the next couple of days.
—-
Yoriichi Tsugikuni arrived in the town just as the sun was rising. When he entered, he was surrounded by vendors who had set up their stalls early in the morning. They all looked at Yoriichi Tsugikuni curiously, but consciously kept their distance.
In this era, while samurai held a high status, there were also many wicked samurai. They exploited ordinary people from a position of power, which made most people afraid to approach them.
Yoriichi had anticipated this situation and paid no attention to the reactions of those around him. He could sense the presence of demons nearby, and now that the sun had risen, they were probably all hiding. Yoriichi didn't intend to alert them during the search; he planned to kill them the moment the sun set.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni strolled around casually. Ever since he arrived in this town, he had felt a sense of familiarity around him, which prompted him to carefully examine every corner.
"Is this Lord Sun Pillar?"
When Yoriichi turned around, he saw two boys carrying katana jogging towards him. They looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, and the way they instinctively gripped their swords while jogging showed they were experienced; it seemed they had encountered members on regular patrol.
"I am no longer a Day Pillar."
Yoriichi Tsugikuni said in a completely flat voice. He had been gone for quite some time; by all accounts, the entire team should already know.
Even if you leave the Demon Slayer Corps, you are still a Sun Pillar.
Kiyotomi and Akino stared at Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who remained expressionless. This Pillar, who always seemed indifferent, was the first to discover the Breathing Technique and selflessly teach it to others. Many in the Demon Slayer Corps admired him, yet dared not approach him. If they hadn't briefly spent time with this foremost Pillar and accidentally discovered that he actually struggled with how to get close to people, perhaps they would have kept their distance as well.
That's right. A year ago, when they were studying under Flame Pillar, they often encountered this renowned Sun Pillar. At that time, they didn't dare to get too close, only knowing that the Sun Pillar and Flame Pillar had a good relationship, and they would seek out Flame Pillar whenever they had time.
It wasn't until one day when they brought snacks and tea to the Flame Pillar that they overheard their conversation. The Sun Pillar seemed different from usual; even though he remained expressionless, his hesitant gestures and slightly melancholic tone were surprising.
"Purgatory, what should I do?"
"Yoichi, maybe we could ask him out or give him a gift or something."
Rengoku Shujuro deeply understood his friend's poor communication skills and felt that since he had failed so many times, it would be better to try a different approach.
What should I give as a gift?
"Choose someone you think is suitable for the other person? For example, I would give Qiu Sheng some medicine for external injuries, because I think he would often get beaten up because of his mouth."
After much deliberation, Rengoku Shujuro offered a sound suggestion.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni seemed to understand something, then nodded in approval of the approach. He looked at Shujuro Rengoku with gratitude in his eyes.
Later, when Kiyotori and Akino were training with Rengoku Shujuro, they witnessed the Sun Pillar giving a beautifully blooming cherry blossom to the Moon Pillar.
At that moment, I felt something shatter.
"Have you traveled this far?"
Akino asked curiously, though it was really just a casual question. However, Yoriichi Tsugikuni gave him a serious reply.
"My intuition tells me there's something fishy going on here."
"Did you feel it? That's amazing. Is this a Pillar? Akino and I came here following the trail of the demon. It's quite powerful."
Qingtou Li gained a new understanding of the pillar's perception ability. He was a little worried before that he might not be able to deal with that troublesome ghost, but now that the Sun Pillar is here, there is no way anything will happen.
"We'll move out tonight. Lord Rizhu, you seem to have only been in town a short time. Let us take you to get something to eat and rest for a bit."
Ji Guoyuan nodded slightly; he had indeed traveled for a long time. Since he was going to stay there until evening, he might as well rest. Besides, he was very attached to that familiar scent.
And so, Yoriichi Tsugikuni rested until the sun was about to set. He heard the cheerful voices of two boys chatting nearby, and Yoriichi Tsugikuni regained his senses a little.
"brush--."
Yoriichi Tsugikuni quickly grabbed the knife lying to the side and, to the astonishment of the two, leaped out the window at lightning speed. Kiyotori and Akino also reacted, grabbing their knives and giving chase.
Yoriichi followed the faint scent of blood to a rather secluded alleyway. There, several similar-looking demons were devouring a young girl.
The girl was a lovely beauty, and must have lived a good life before she died. But now her wide-open eyes revealed panic, and blood kept flowing from the corner of her mouth.
She died at the tender age of youth.
This wasn't the first time Yoriichi Tsugikuni had witnessed this scene, but each time it filled him with immense anger. In Yoriichi's mind, every human life was precious and should not be trampled upon in this way.
"brush--."
Yoriichi gripped his sword tightly, and the moment the blade turned crimson, he swung it down without hesitation. With a dazzling burst of flame, he severed the heads of two demons in one swift motion.
The remaining demons, except for one that had lost an arm in the process and was lying on the ground howling in pain, scattered and fled. Kiyoto Ri and Akino, who rushed to the scene, reacted quickly and stopped the fleeing demons.
Yoriichi had no intention of helping; he figured he could handle one on his own. He looked at the convulsing demon on the ground, raised his hand, and swiftly and cleanly slew it. His face remained expressionless, as if he felt nothing at all.
The stench of blood permeated the surroundings, and the red stains and debris scattered on the ground reflected what had happened. Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked at the two people, who bore various wounds and bloodstains, and was about to say something when he sensed someone approaching.
Yoriichi turned his head, his clear view allowing him to see the boy standing a hundred meters away—an ordinary person practicing martial arts. Yoriichi watched as the boy slowly approached a little further, then squinted and spoke with a hint of uncertainty.
"Yes, Iwakatsu-nii...?"
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