Seeking Haganezuka

Decades passed, and the Demon Slayer Corps, once briefly powerful due to Yoriichi's presence, fell into silence once more.

When the last demon slayer bearing the Scarlet Traces died, the Demon Slayer Corps' strength plummeted to a new low.

Even more ludicrous was that although Muzan Kibutsuji had been living in sunlight for decades, the Demon Slayer Corps still stubbornly believed demons could only appear at night.

Furthermore, for reasons unknown, the government implemented several measures to suppress civilian martial arts organizations, severely limiting the Demon Slayer Corps' space to operate.

However, relying on the Ubuyashiki Family's precognitive abilities, their economic ventures remained unaffected, and the Demon Slayer Corps' financial support never wavered.

The Demon Slayer Corps had failed to realize that their current desperate struggle was no longer against Muzan and his demons, but against low-intelligence Half-Demons who, while vastly different, bore a strong resemblance to demons.

The sweltering summer heat was broken by a cool breeze.

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, its intense heat driving most pedestrians indoors.

Six demon slayers, not in their Demon Slayer Corps uniforms, carried Nichirin Blades at their waists, concealed beneath loose haori.

A passerby, holding a parasol and with pale skin, hurried past.

One of the demon slayers called out to the passerby:

"Excuse me, could you tell us where Inokami Forest is?"

The passerby stopped, glanced at them, and pointed towards the mountains in the distance: "That's it."

With that, the passerby quickly walked away.

"Thank you."

The demon slayer thanked the passerby's retreating back and headed in the direction indicated.

The passerby suddenly stopped, looked back at their figures, shook his head, and continued on his way.

The passerby was Muzan himself. Although he no longer feared the sun, the summer heat was brutal, and without his umbrella, the sun was making him dizzy.

As for the Demon Slayer Corps' objective, Muzan was naturally aware of it.

Inokami Forest was a small wooded area where a Half-Demon had appeared, and he had already dealt with it on his way.

The Demon Slayer Corps were destined to have made a wasted trip.

Speaking of which, the demon slayers he had encountered recently were all weaker than the last.

He was out this time because he heard Haganezuka was looking for him, so he decided to get some fresh air and see what had changed after decades of staying indoors.

He was also looking for Haganezuka.

He wondered where that child was now.

He must be in his forties. He hoped he would still be alive when he found Haganezuka.

Thinking of Haganezuka's incredibly strong physique, Muzan felt he would likely be fine.

As dusk approached, Muzan arrived at the Soryu Dojo.

Things had changed.

He knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before a small child ran to open it.

"What can I do for you?"

"Is Haganezuka here?"

The child was taken aback and quickly shouted into the dojo, "Father! Someone's here to see Grandpa!"

Muzan was invited inside and was offered a cup of tea. The tea leaves slowly settled at the bottom of the cup, with only a few leaves still floating on the surface.

"Are you the doctor's son?"

The man sitting opposite Muzan asked eagerly.

"Ah..." Muzan hadn't expected to be mistaken for his own son, but he decided to go along with it:

"Yes, I am. Where is Mr. Haganezuka?"

"My father left home a year ago to find your father. He told me that if anyone came looking for him, they should search in the direction of the sunset."

"Thank you."

Muzan stood up, ready to leave.

The man instinctively wanted to ask him to stay, but seeing that Muzan had no intention of lingering, he didn't say anything further.

If you like this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

Muzan picked up the paper umbrella he had left by the door, opened it, and walked away, his figure growing smaller in the distance.

A few days later, Muzan traveled west.

He arrived in a bustling town and checked into a room at an inn.

Unexpectedly, he encountered members of the Demon Slayer Corps again by the roadside.

However, Muzan knew there were no demons nearby, nor had he detected any Half-Demons.

Could he have been exposed?

At that moment, three demon slayers were sitting at a ramen stall by the roadside, each having ordered a bowl of ramen and waiting for their meal.

Muzan, out of curiosity, also ordered some ramen and approached the demon slayers.

"Hello?"

The demon slayers were a girl and two boys. Hearing Muzan seemingly speaking to them, one of the taller boys looked over. "Hello."

Muzan asked curiously, "Are you from the Demon Slayer Corps?"

The demon slayers nodded, their faces filled with caution. "What's up?"

If he reports us, we'll knock him out!

The government had invested a lot of money to suppress private martial arts organizations. Reporting anyone caught carrying a sword privately would earn you 300 liang of rice (rice was the economic standard at the time).

This was equivalent to half a year's income for a samurai.

So, the members of the Demon Slayer Corps had been quite scared of being reported recently.

Muzan saw their wary expressions and understood the situation. He quickly said, "I won't report you! I just wanted to ask if any demons have appeared nearby?"

The demon slayers relaxed. "We received a report that people have been dying mysteriously in the vicinity. We suspect there might be demons, but it could also be human-made."

"I see..."

As they spoke, the ramen was ready. The demon slayers took the bowls from the owner, and Muzan's was also prepared.

Not bad, it was quite delicious.

After bidding farewell to the demon slayers, Muzan continued his search for Haganezuka, wandering aimlessly.

As night fell and the bustling entertainment district unfolded, Muzan suddenly felt something pressed against his back.

He knew someone was nearby, but with so many people on the street, he hadn't paid attention.

Now, however, he realized someone had a knife pressed against his back.

The person grabbed Muzan's wrist and whispered menacingly, "Don't shout, move!"

Muzan complied, following the person holding him. The surroundings became increasingly desolate as they walked out of the city and arrived at a dilapidated, abandoned house.

Hearing their footsteps, several more people emerged from the broken-down house.

Through the cracks in the door and broken windows, Muzan saw corpses strewn about inside the house.

"Hand over your money!"

Muzan was a stranger from out of town, and he had been spending money lavishly all day. Coupled with the fact that he wasn't carrying any weapons and didn't look like he could resist, it was normal for him to attract attention.

He's going to be robbed and then his body will be disposed of...

Although I don't need to eat humans anymore, if they're served to me...

A moment later, "Help! Help!!!"

"Don't kill me!!!"

"Demon—!"

The last robber, terrified and trembling, crawled on the ground, crying and scrambling to escape, was swallowed in one bite.

Muzan's arm returned to its original form. He glanced at the three demon slayers trembling behind a wall, pretending not to see them, and walked away.

Tasting a familiar flavor after so long, Muzan was in a good mood. However, he needed to remind Maruoka Masahito and Maruoka Kinuko to work on improving social order and developing the economy. It wasn't good to be robbed halfway through the journey.

Muzan had a hunch that he would find Haganezuka soon.