Chapter 30 Rest and Recuperation
—Infinite City—
As Iwakatsu was falling, Narumi's pipa music came at just the right moment, causing Iwakatsu to fall onto a floating platform.
"Cough cough cough—".
Even though he landed as quickly as possible, he lost control of his body and crashed heavily to the ground.
Iwakatsu struggled to sit up, looking down at his purple kimono that had been cut open, its neat edges now stained dark red with blood.
Actually, this cut didn't hurt that much; compared to the five days and five nights I spent as a demon, it was much better. The clothes were ruined, Yan Sheng said, raising his hand to gather the tattered kimono, feeling a little embarrassed to be naked.
In truth, even under those special circumstances, Kokushibo couldn't guarantee anything. Fortunately, Yoriichi Tsugikuni wavered at the last moment, and the instant he saw the Crimson Blade disappear, Kokushibo knew clearly that he had made the right bet.
From some details in the original work and Yoriichi's monologue, one can sense that Yoriichi's feelings for his older brother are very deep. Even though he clearly knows that his brother chose to become a demon, and he is also clear about his own goals and mission, his unwavering belief still wavers severely when he faces Kokushinobu.
So Iwakatsu is gambling that Yoriichi Tsugikuni will soften his heart the moment he sees him, just like in the original story.
"But it really hurts."
Iwakatsu winced in pain as his wound slowly healed. And this wasn't even inflicted by the Crimson Blade using the Breathing of the Sun technique. Iwakatsu finally understood why that scoundrel Yoriichi was like a mouse before a cat when he saw Tsugikuni. "I wouldn't want to see him either," he thought, "and I certainly don't want to see him again now."
Iwakatsu swayed as he stood up, blood seeping into his hastily adjusted kimono. He was so weak that he just wanted to go back and recuperate.
Are you alright?
Suddenly, a plaintive voice came from behind, startling Yan Sheng. His hand instinctively reached for his waist, but he found nothing and, in his haste, aggravated his wound.
Muzan Kibutsuji looked at Iwakatsu, whose clothes were disheveled and who could smell a distinct stench of blood. Despite this, he seemed to be in relatively good health, still able to move, and his wounds appeared to be healing, albeit slowly.
Iwakatsu turned his head and saw Kibutsuji Muzan, who was clearly not dressed properly. His clothes were disheveled from running, his hat was gone, his short black hair was wet, and his blood-red vertical pupils stared at him with a complex expression.
What do you mean I'm fine? I paid a heavy price, you scumbag boss.
Iwakatsu gritted his teeth, but on the surface he still maintained a respectful demeanor and bowed to Muzan Kibutsuji.
"Muzan, sir... cough cough cough."
Unfortunately, before he could even bend over, Yan Sheng clutched his chest and coughed violently. Warm blood dripped from between his fingers onto the ground, forming circular bloodstains.
"Alright, alright, Kokushibo, don't move."
Seeing Iwakatsu's miserable state, Kibutsuji Muzan felt a rare pang of guilt, after all, Iwakatsu had pushed him back to the Infinity Castle in a moment of crisis. No demon wanted to encounter that monster.
As Muzan Kibutsuji thought about it, his gaze towards Iwakatsu grew increasingly satisfied, all his previous doubts vanishing. He figured that as long as Iwakatsu was loyal to him, that was enough; he was strong, good-looking, and most importantly, he could keep that monster Yoriichi Tsugikuni in check.
Iwakatsu had no idea that Muzan Kibutsuji was plotting something big; he was just secretly pleased that he had dispelled Muzan Kibutsuji's suspicions.
Killing two birds with one stone, ensuring the plot regained the trust of the scoundrel boss. Thinking this, Yan Sheng felt the knife wound in his chest didn't hurt so much anymore.
"It must be because Yoriichi Tsugikuni... still has some familial affection for his subordinates..."
Seeing Muzan Kibutsuji's determined expression, Iwakatsu didn't know what to say. He couldn't very well tell him he was gambling with his life, so he decided to just give a vague answer.
"Tsk..."
Muzan Kibutsuji looked like he knew it, and disdainfully straightened his suit.
"That monster with the righteous and awe-inspiring appearance can be influenced by blood ties, it's really laughable."
"..."
Yan Sheng felt that this scumbag boss seemed to have no self-awareness whatsoever. He was speechless; an awkward laugh would suffice.
"Kuroshibo, you did a great job this time. I knew I made the right choice to cooperate with you."
Kibutsuji Muzan took out a vial of red liquid from a transparent reagent tube and handed it to Iwakatsu. Iwakatsu looked at the bloody liquid, which exuded an alluring, bloody scent, and knew it was the blood of the scumbag boss.
"Take this and restore it; the damage from that monster isn't so easy to restore."
"...Thank you, Muzan-sama."
Yan Sheng took the glass reagent, his heart pounding with excitement. Looking at the red, viscous liquid swaying inside, he felt like a vampire.
"By the way, Kokushibo, there are some decent demons lately. Those useless trash from before couldn't even control their basic aura and desires."
Kibutsuji Muzan suddenly thought of something, turned around and spoke to Iwakatsu, looking at Iwakatsu as if he were thinking.
"Perfect timing, you can help me manage them while you're restoring them."
"?"
Listen to this, is this even human language?
Even capitalists would shed tears at the sight of you, you worthless boss.
Before I even filed for work injury compensation, they were already eager to find me work.
Iwakatsu, who thought he could finally rest under the pretext of his injury, shed tears of regret. He really shouldn't have killed those useless fools; now he was in such a miserable situation.
"Yes... Muzan-sama."
Iwakatsu replied to Muzan Kibutsuji with intense resentment, but the latter seemed oblivious, running away immediately after exploiting him.
Depend on
While inwardly cursing Muzan Kibutsuji, Iwakatsu maintained his aloof demeanor.
After a long while, Yan Sheng slowly began to move. Although the wound was healing slowly, it was no longer bleeding much.
Yan Sheng sensed his surroundings and saw the Void Crying God not far away. Yan Sheng went forward, picked it up, and saw that it had a burn mark on it, a long line that had damaged the eye near the mark.
Alright, now we need to maintain the weapons too.
The Void Crying God was made of flesh and blood by Yan Sheng. When Yan Sheng looked at it, he felt as if he had been chopped up, even though he had indeed been chopped up.
Yan Sheng carefully sheathed it.
"Narukae".
Yan Sheng stood up straight, feeling the approaching presence after he called out.
"What are your orders, Lord Kokushibo?"
Nakime appeared before Iwakatsu as the building changed, seemingly oblivious to Iwakatsu's current appearance, and bowed as usual.
"Help me prepare... new clothes, thank you for your hard work."
Iwakatsu stated his needs directly. He didn't know any other demons, so he could only ask Nakime, whom he was currently more familiar with, for help. Perhaps because Iwakatsu had more contact with Nakime, his attitude towards her was more amiable. Of course, this was also because Nakime was not only good at handling things, but her Blood Demon Art was also very useful.
"OK."
Nakime understood Iwakatsu's request and held this man in high esteem, so she was not upset by his instructions.
Iwakatsu was quite satisfied, and his positive impression of Nakime increased even more. Noticing that nothing much was happening now, Iwakatsu settled down and began his day of leisurely living in the Infinite Castle.
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