Chapter 94 Chapter 94 Chapter 94
Yoriichi Tsugikuni carried Aori, who was wrapped in old clothes, in his arms. His movements were very light, like a silent breeze, sweeping across the rugged mountain path.
In the end, he decided to return to the mountain cabin, to the home he and Azhi had once shared.
This place wasn't abandoned, because whenever Yoriichi Tsugikuni encountered a nearby mission, he would clean the dust from the corners of the hut and repair the roof that had been damaged by wind and rain afterward...
A house without people will fall into disrepair quickly, so he could only try his best to keep the cottage as it was.
A new wisteria tree was planted in the yard, but it hadn't grown yet. Every time he came back, he would clean up the wandering ghosts in the vicinity, and gradually, the ghosts stopped coming near.
In Yoriichi's vision, on the day he eliminates the demon named "Muzan Kibutsuji," he can return hand in hand with Ori and continue their peaceful and stable life.
That day is not far off; some of the Demon Slayer Corps members have already discovered clues left by Muzan Kibutsuji.
He never expected that he and Azhi would return under these circumstances.
Ji Guoyuan gently placed Azhi on the bed and carefully removed her old coat without disturbing her.
The girl's face was serene, her long eyelashes drooped quietly, and her breathing was shallow. Under the influence of alcohol, she fell into a deeper sleep.
But the overly heavy clothes still made her uncomfortable. She frowned, rolled over, adjusted to a comfortable position, and then relaxed her brows.
Ah Zhi's current attire is completely out of place with the simplicity of this place; her luxurious clothes make it seem as if she was kidnapped and brought here.
Yoriichi forced himself to step back, poured the water he had opened on his way back into a small pot, lit the fire, and sat down at a distance, waiting for the water to boil.
If Azhi wakes up, she will probably be thirsty.
The clouds were blown away, and the cool moonlight slanted in through the small wooden window, leaving a silvery-white stain on the floor.
As Yoriichi gazed at that silvery white, his thoughts drifted far away.
One night should be enough for my brother to handle everything, so he will send Azhi back to the Jiguo Mansion at dawn.
Will he and A-Zhi meet again after this?
This unanswered question made Yoriichi Tsugikuni think of Akeno again.
The gentle and kind mother in my memory seemed to have never stepped out of the Jiguo Mansion. She stayed in the inner courtyard all day, never seeing any men outside, and could only see her own children at specific times.
As the matriarch of the successor state, every action must conform to etiquette, and every word and deed represents the face of the successor state.
This was something the father said when he was unhappy about seeing Yoriichi Tsugikuni and had an argument with the mother. These words made the mother cover her face and cry for a long time.
And what about Aori, who returns to the Tsugikuni mansion? As her brother's wife and the new mistress of Tsugikuni, will she also be required to become like this?
Will Azhi be happy? Will she cry?
This premonition caused Yoichi Tsugikuni to unconsciously clench his hands on his knees, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
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In the thick darkness, Jiguo Yansheng rode out of the city gate alone, the rapid hoofbeats shattering the silence of the night.
The night wind blew against his face, making his hair and robes rustle, but it couldn't dispel the growing darkness in his eyes.
Ji Guoyan Sheng massacred the Ji Guo Mansion, showing no mercy to those who betrayed him. His wedding dress was completely soaked in blood, and its original color was no longer visible.
A heavy emotion lingered in his heart, so much so that by the time he realized something was wrong, he had already fallen into a trap.
The horse beneath him let out a mournful neigh, its front hooves raised high, and Jiguku Iwakatsu leaped down from the air, discovering the ghost waiting on the only path.
The words on the pupils indicate that it is an Upper Moon demon.
Fortunately, he carried a Nichirin Blade with him.
The newly formed lines on his face were burning hot, and it didn't take much effort for Ji Guoyansheng to clear away the obstacles in his path.
He watched the ghost dissipate into the air and prepared to continue forward, but the sudden appearance of that figure made him unable to move.
An oppressive feeling that made one's soul tremble came over them.
The "person" was dressed in the attire of a contemporary nobleman. He appeared silently in mid-air, wearing an elegant dark kimono, with a pale face beneath his jet-black curly hair.
"good."
Kibutsuji Muzan looked down at Tsugikuni Iwakatsu from his high position, his scarlet eyes filled with amusement, as if he had just watched a good show.
Recently, the Demon Slayer Corps has been developing rapidly. They seem to have mastered a technique called "Breathing Technique," which has greatly increased the strength of these small insects.
This led to a sharp decline in the number of ghosts that had been maintaining a balance.
Although Muzan Kibutsuji didn't care much about the demons he killed, he still needed them to distract the Demon Slayer Corps and to search for the Blue Spider Lily.
Moreover, creating a ghost requires consuming his blood.
Muzan Kibutsuji sent demons to gather information, and it took him quite a bit of effort to find out the name "Yoichi Tsugikuni" and Tsugikuni Castle, which was closely related to Yoichi Tsugikuni.
Before he could even make a move, the country had already fallen apart due to internal divisions over their respective interests.
Kibutsuji Muzan wandered the human world in search of the Blue Spider Lily, creating many identities along the way. In the wandering world, he overheard a group of fools plotting something.
These idiots mentioned the surname "Jiguo".
………
Muzan Kibutsuji only gave them a slight push from behind, but he didn't expect these idiots to take action, and the effect was so good.
Kokushiro Tsugikuni, Yoriichi Tsugikuni's older brother, after seeing that he could easily kill an Upper Moon demon, Muzan Kibutsuji realized that it might be better to make this person a demon rather than to kill him directly.
He will become his best helper.
Kibutsuji Muzan's lips curled into a smile.
In the blink of an eye, several moves had already been exchanged.
The massive impact sent Ji Guoyansheng flying, crashing heavily into a tree trunk with a dull thud as if his bones were shattering.
The blade was broken and mangled, and it was soaked in fresh blood again, this time his own.
Muzan Kibutsuji walked over slowly, sizing up the disheveled Kokushibo Tsugikuni, his words carrying a strong implication: "You can't beat Yoriichi Tsugikuni right now."
He uttered the name that Ji Guoyansheng hated to the core.
Ji Guoyan's heart skipped a beat, his pupils contracted sharply, and the veins on the back of his hand gripping the knife bulged: "You know a lot."
"We are not enemies." Muzan Kibutsuji narrowed his crimson eyes and said emotionlessly, "Take a look at this."
The short ghost who followed the Ghost King stepped forward.
A strange black mist gradually seeped from his palm, floating in the air and eventually forming a distorted mirror.
The image that gradually appeared in the mirror made Ji Guoyan's eyes widen in horror.
On the bed in the simple hut, the girl's once neat pure white wedding dress was now disheveled beneath her, revealing large expanses of snow-white skin.
Her long, curved eyelashes trembled, she breathed hotly in a daze, and her soft, tender lips were moist and red, as if they had been thoroughly devoured.
With his upper body bare, Yoriichi Tsugikuni embraced the girl contentedly, kissing her neck tenderly, leaving dark red marks there, his strong back muscles undulating with his movements.
The scene in the mirror continued. Kokushiro saw tears welling up in Aori's eyes and then, as if she were too exhausted to hold on, her small, pink and white hands slipped off Kokushiro Yoriichi's sweaty back.
Then he was grabbed by another large hand and taken back. Their black and dark red hair intertwined, so intimate that they were inseparable...
"No……"
Ji Guoyan Sheng uttered broken syllables from his throat, vomited blood, and swung his knife. The mirror formed by the Blood Demon Technique instantly turned into smoke and dissipated.
The rapidly draining blood had already pooled on the ground, and the broken bones were screaming in agony, but none of these things were as heart-wrenching as the scene before him.
He felt like he was going crazy.
"What you're seeing is happening right now," Muzan Kibutsuji continued to entice, his words filled with just the right amount of mockery.
It's actually fake.
What Jiguo Yansheng saw was nothing but an illusion created by the Blood Demon Art. He had been under the influence of the Blood Demon Art ever since he left the city gate.
This technique is most effective at bewitching people's minds; it can depict the scenes that people least want to see deep in their hearts.
Muzan Kibutsuji didn't know what Kokushibo Tsugikuni had seen, but his expression showed that he had been greatly shocked.
This made him even more eager to see what Kokushiro Koku would look like as a ghost.
"Is it painful? Is it infuriating?"
"Your retainers are dissatisfied with your decision. They disobey you and even plot to make you lose face, and then put your younger brother on the throne."
"Your newlywed wife abandoned you, ran off with your brother, and even had sex with someone else on your wedding night..."
Every word was like a steel needle, precisely piercing the darkest part of Ji Guoyansheng's heart, and completely destroying his reason.
"Become a demon, and you will have unlimited time to obtain everything, whether it be the pinnacle of martial arts or the people you desire..."
Muzan Kibutsuji's words were like whispers from hell, filled with a deadly allure. He slowly raised his right hand, and a drop of dark red blood condensed on his pale, almost eerie fingertips.
"Your body is ultimately too weak. Accept my power, and you can defeat Yoriichi Tsugikuni and wash away all your shame."
All his perseverance was crushed at this moment. Ji Guoyan suddenly raised his head, his crimson eyes fixed on the drop of blood.
Muzan Kibutsuji's face showed satisfaction: "That's right, just like that."
………
The moon was once again shrouded in clouds, unable to let in a single ray of light.
Ji Guoyan fell heavily to his knees in the pool of blood, his hands digging fiercely into the soil and sticky decaying leaves, his fingernails snapping and bleeding profusely.
Every muscle and nerve in his body was being reconstructed amidst endless pain, and the broken bones emitted a terrifying cracking sound.
In this inhuman transformation, what kept him from collapsing were two names.
When he stood up again, his face was no longer recognizable as human.
The crimson markings became even more ferocious and twisted, and the sharp fangs pierced the lips. However, what was most terrifying was the six dark golden eyes that had grown and covered most of the face.
From then on, there was no longer Jikuni Iwakatsu, only Kokushibo.
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Author's Note: Isn't this exciting? [Let me see!]
The next chapter will feature a dark turn/qz warning. If you don't like this kind of thing, don't click. Skipping this chapter won't affect the overall development.
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