Biwa Player

The demon who spoke was taken aback. Come to think of it, Muzan had never actually said anything about ruling.

Back then, he seemed to have only asked them not to kill innocents, and gave no other commands. As for the wars of the past few decades, it seemed he had started them himself, at most encouraging them to end the wars.

So, this was all his own imagination?

Most of the demons in front of him looked like they were thinking, "Did I misunderstand?"

"Understood?"

Seeing that they had all understood, Muzan suddenly extended a whip-like appendage from his waist and thrust it into Maruoka Masashi and Maruoka Kinuko's heads.

The remaining dozen or so demons flinched in fright and instinctively dodged. Only after seeing what had happened did they awkwardly look at Muzan.

The two demons who had been granted blood writhed in pain, letting out low growls from their throats.

Muzan felt that now, when he granted blood, it shouldn't just be about increasing their upper limit. Besides him being willing, he could be a bit more "clear with rewards and punishments."

Muzan retracted the whip-like appendage. The two demons knelt on the ground, arching their backs and gasping for air.

Muzan glanced at the others. "What are you looking at? If there's nothing else, go do what you were doing."

Upon hearing this, the dozen or so demons who had come to their senses responded and left. Maruoka Masashi and the other also slowly stood up and retreated.

Muzan flashed away.

Tsugikuni Kokushibo had already married and had children. He finally met Tsugikuni Yoriichi, who had joined the Demon Slayer Corps, and abandoned his wife and children, resolutely picking up his past dream of becoming the strongest swordsman and joining the Demon Slayer Corps.

Yoriichi, that simpleton, still believed that his dear brother only cared for him as a younger brother, thinking that the brotherhood between them was harmonious and that their relationship was incredibly good. He treasured the bamboo flute his brother had given him as if it were a priceless treasure.

Little did he know that Tsugikuni Kokushibo was almost driven mad at this point.

Muzan felt it necessary to remind him while Yoriichi was out on a mission.

At this moment, Tsugikuni Yoriichi was on a mission with his dear brother.

Because the Demon Slayer Corps still regarded demons and half-demons as one and the same, and Yoriichi lacked the ability to distinguish between them, he could only accept any mission that came his way.

Moreover, in his opinion, even the demons under Muzan should be slain if they killed innocents.

The two of them were currently on a mission to find a killer demon in a small town.

According to the mission description, the husband of a local Biwa Player had been brutally murdered by a demon, and the Biwa Player had escaped the demon's clutches that day, emerging in tatters to play her instrument.

It was said that the Biwa Player's music was exceptionally moving that day due to the loss of her husband.

Although it felt a bit unreasonable, the Demon Slayer Corps, adhering to the idea of never letting any evil demon go, sent the Tsugikuni brothers to investigate the situation. If a demon truly existed, they were to slay it.

At this point, Yoriichi, at Kokushibo's suggestion, split up to investigate.

Yoriichi had just finished questioning a passerby and hadn't learned any useful information. Seeing that the sky was growing darker, Yoriichi felt he should first regroup with Kokushibo and exchange information.

But in a daze, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure in a small alley.

Yoriichi stopped, looking curiously at the dark, dimly lit alley. The figure seemed to overlap with someone from his memory.

Yoriichi stood outside the alley. In the setting sun, he watched the familiar figure look towards him and involuntarily exclaimed, "Muzan?"

Muzan smiled. "I came to see you."

Yoriichi hurried into the alley. He knew Muzan couldn't stand sunlight, so it was thoughtful of him to come out during the day.

"You came to find me, you must have something on your mind, right?"

Although they hadn't seen each other for five years, Yoriichi knew that Muzan wouldn't just come to see him for no reason.

Muzan pouted. "Can't an old father just come to see his son?"

Yoriichi was busy with his mission and didn't have the mind to chat with Muzan. As for what Muzan had said, he didn't take it seriously and instead asked:

"Do you know if there are any demons nearby?"

"What's wrong?"

"I received a mission..."

Yoriichi recounted the mission description. Muzan frowned.

"No, I can sense it. There are no demons nearby, and the demons under me do not kill innocents."

Muzan emphasized again that neither he nor his demons killed innocents.

Yoriichi's expression was strange. "I investigated. The husband of the murdered Biwa Player could hardly be called innocent..."

"?"

"He was a gambler and an abuser. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he deserved to die..."

Yoriichi explained. Honestly, he also felt that such a man living only made the word "scum" not lack a bearer.

Upon hearing this, Muzan felt a sense of déjà vu. However, such things were common, and it was just a feeling of similarity. He reassured him again:

"I can be sure it wasn't done by a demon. If it were, I would know. And I haven't sensed any half-demons nearby."

Yoriichi was also puzzled upon hearing this. "Could it be an incident between ordinary people?"

"It should be. Let's not talk about this anymore. I came to remind you of something."

Yoriichi looked confused, waiting for Muzan to continue.

"Your brother is a bit paranoid right now, overreacting emotionally."

"?" Yoriichi was confused. As far as he could see, his elder brother was resolute and hardworking, fought bravely, and cared for him. He was perfect in every way.

Muzan truly couldn't imagine how many filters Yoriichi had applied to Tsugikuni Michikatsu in his eyes at this moment.

He decided to explain it all.

It took several hours, but Muzan meticulously recounted the situation from the beginning to the present for Yoriichi. However, Yoriichi, with his "brother filter," remained skeptical.

Seeing his reaction, Muzan felt as if all his efforts over the past few hours were wasted. "Fine, go verify it yourself. I don't have the leisure to play games with you."

By this time, the sky had already darkened. Although Yoriichi didn't fully believe him, a sliver of possibility had lodged itself in his heart. He felt it was time to reunite with his brother and quickly bid Muzan farewell.

Muzan watched him leave and didn't rush to return.

At this moment, he finally remembered why the Biwa Player Yoriichi described felt so familiar.

Nakime!

However, he had encountered numerous similar situations over the decades, so Muzan only had a suspicion.

Furthermore, the original work didn't specify when Nakime appeared. Muzan felt he could go and see for himself.

What if it really was Nakime?

Without much effort, Muzan managed to find out the Biwa Player's whereabouts.

Although he didn't know where she lived, fortunately, she had another performance in three days. He could just go then.

Muzan found an inn and settled in, enjoying a comfortable soak in the hot springs.

If nothing else, soaking in hot springs was truly relaxing.

The night before the Biwa Player's performance, Yoriichi and Michikatsu had already departed. Muzan was wandering through the night market, taking advantage of the darkness to get some fresh air.

After enjoying the breeze on a three-story pavilion for a while, Muzan went downstairs, preparing to return.

Since the inn wasn't in a bustling area, he had to pass through a deserted path from the night market to get back.

As Muzan rounded a corner, he suddenly sensed someone approaching rapidly.