Chapter 8 Choosing to Leave
Yan Sheng stared blankly at the very handsome boy in front of him for a moment before picking him up. Seeing the boy sitting on his arm with his legs crossed, Yan Sheng was speechless and could only adjust himself to make him sit more steadily.
Seeing the bloody carnage around them, Yan Sheng's upbringing in the mortal world made him feel unbearable. After hesitating for a moment, he used his Blood Demon Art to destroy most of the corpses, making sure that the accumulation of bodies wouldn't cause a virus to spread, before turning and leaving with Muzan in his arms. They needed to find a suitable place to rest before dawn.
Muzan Kibutsuji naturally knew what Iwakatsu was doing, but he didn't care at all. He simply gave Iwakatsu directions to his nearest residence before leaving.
He was very satisfied with his new subordinate. Kind-hearted people are the easiest to manipulate, and Muzan Kibutsuji knew this better than anyone. And a powerful yet easily manipulated person was exactly what Muzan Kibutsuji wanted.
On the other side
Yoriichi Tsugikuni had returned to the Demon Slayer Corps and stayed in the backyard of his residence for a long time. He didn't speak to anyone or go out; he just sat quietly on the stone chair in the backyard. Only when his master summoned him for a meeting did he slowly get up and leave.
The Pillars hold meetings in a special courtyard, the central location of the Demon Slayer Corps. Meetings are usually held indoors, so each Pillar has a fixed position. The Sun Pillar and Moon Pillar are located to the left and right of the main seat. Currently, only one person remains in those two positions.
At the pre-meeting assembly, Yoriichi was the last Pillar to arrive, after the Lord. Upon arrival, he was immediately confronted with questions from the other Pillars. Seeing his companions, already enraged by the news, Yoriichi remained unmoved, his calm expression fixed straight ahead.
Yoriichi's silent, kneeling posture in his usual spot infuriated the Pillars. The Water Pillar and Wind Pillar were particularly agitated; had it not been for the Flame Pillar, who was closest to Yoriichi, holding them back, the scene would have been far more unpleasant.
"Why didn't we kill the Ghost King when we had such a rare opportunity?"
"Why did you let that female ghost go? What were you thinking?"
"Get out of the Demon Slayer Corps!"
"..."
The surrounding noise and the constant questioning failed to elicit a word from Yoriichi Tsugikuni. He remained kneeling, his eyes fixed ahead, his face expressionless, only his hand still tightly clutching the blood-stained white cloth.
"Alright! Qiusheng, Beixi, stop it! What kind of trouble are you going to cause? The lord is coming soon! Besides, Yoriichi didn't let the Demon King escape on purpose."
Rengoku Shujuro, the Flame Pillar, couldn't stand it any longer and raised his voice to stop everyone. The Rengoku family was a top-tier family that joined the Demon Slayer Corps when it was first established, fighting demons for generations, so they held a significant position within the Corps. After Rengoku Shujuro spoke, everyone calmed down, and no one dared to disrespect him.
"But! Yan..."
As a water pillar, Kawakami Akio was still somewhat indignant, but before he could finish speaking, he saw Rengoku Shujuro's unusually displeased expression and shut his mouth.
Rengoku Shujuro sighed deeply as everyone quieted down. Looking at Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who remained silent, he noticed the white cloth in the latter's hand. He was the only Pillar in the Demon Slayer Corps who hadn't gone on a mission at the time, and he learned the whole story when Yoriichi returned.
“Yoriichi, you don’t need to pay too much attention to what they say. They’re just impatient and say whatever comes to mind without thinking it through.”
Shujuro was the person who interacted with Yoriichi the most, and also the one among the Pillars who understood Yoriichi's personality best. Perhaps he was very powerful, but in the worldview of Purgatory, Yoriichi was just a very talented person, a friend with a blank expression, poor speech, and an awkward personality.
"I'm fine, and what they said isn't wrong."
Yoriichi Tsugikuni replied that he was not usually a talkative person, and besides, he was in no mood for it at all. Rengoku also said nothing more.
Just then, Ubuyashiki Yukio was helped over. His body was growing weaker and weaker, and now he even had difficulty walking. Ubuyashiki Yukio looked at the pillars who were bowing to him, and then at the cushion where Iwakatsu usually sat, feeling regretful. Through Kasugai-gai, he was one of the first to know about it.
"Kids, calm down."
"Ubuyashiki Yukio said soothingly, looking at Yoriichi Tsugikuni sitting there, and sighed."
"Yojiro's disappearance may have been due to some misfortune. As for Yoriichi, who lost his loved ones, you are all just blaming Yoriichi now. He is not omnipotent; it's just that Muzan Kibutsuji was too cunning."
Ubuyashiki Yukio didn't offer any further persuasion; some things need to be said without going into detail. After changing the subject, Ubuyashiki Yukio began today's meeting.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who was sitting to the side, didn't hear a word. He just stared blankly at the empty seat until the meeting was about to end, when he finally came to his senses.
After the meeting, Yoriichi Tsugikuni chose to stay and speak privately with Yukio Ubuyashiki. As Rengoku left, he glanced at Yoriichi with some concern. Yoriichi looked back at him, and Rengoku, seeing the other's calm expression, left knowingly.
The private meeting was short, lasting a little over half an hour. After it ended, Yoriichi Tsugikuni returned to his residence to pack his luggage.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni didn't want to carry much; he was used to a simple life, taking things one step at a time. He picked up the pink cloth bag, opened it, and looked inside at the rough flute. After a long silence, he closed the bag again and carried it with him.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni refused Yukio Ubuyashiki's offer to stay and chose to leave the Demon Slayer Corps. He wanted to find his brother's whereabouts and also to find Muzan Kibutsuji and kill him.
He left at midnight, and no one noticed him as if he had just gone on a mission. Rengoku Shujuro found out the next day.
Rengoku Shujuro felt regret; he didn't know when he would see Yoriichi again. Human life was short, and he himself had already developed his Demon Slayer Mark, unsure when he would leave this world. Rengoku hoped to have the chance to meet Yoriichi again and sincerely wished him a safe journey.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni suddenly stopped, turned around as if sensing something, and then quickly continued on his way. After leaving, Yoriichi Tsugikuni simply walked aimlessly, without a clear destination in mind.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni doesn't have a very good sense of direction, and he mainly relies on obvious buildings and his memory to recall the route he has taken. He moves very fast, but he doesn't linger in the town for long, instead choosing to rest in a dilapidated and deserted village.
Yoriichi arrived at a dilapidated house, rested on a haystack, looked at the bright moon in the sky through the roof, reached out to hold it, but felt that his behavior was very foolish, so he withdrew his hand.
"Brother, where are you now? Are you alright? Yoriichi misses you so much."
Yoriichi clutched the cloth bag near his chest, feeling the chill of the night wind. He had always had a slightly elevated body temperature, and the cold wind would blow away his worries, allowing his tense mood to relax temporarily.
Yan Sheng, who was far away, suddenly sneezed. He frowned as he looked at the moon outside, wondering how he could catch a cold even after turning into a ghost.
"Lord Kokushibo, the young master has something to discuss with you."
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