Upon hearing this, Ayu's eyes lit up.
"To be honest, Mr. Dichai, I do need your help to take down a guy."
"Oh? Which unlucky fellow is it, Your Highness? Please speak."
"His name is Scribe. He is the leader of Tsukishiki Pharmaceuticals and the protagonist of the recent uproar in the news."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ayu saw Dichai frown, Shinri Keito next to her, also looked embarrassed.
"This person is a key figure in our plan, and we cannot kill him for the time being."
"What plan?"
"You'll find out once you join."
"Okay, but if I have the chance, I'd like to see him die with my own eyes."
"That day will come."
Having temporarily fooled Ayu, Dichai quickly changed the subject.
"In that case, I will take you to see that lord."
"Mr. Muzan, no, Lord Muzan?"
"Yes, he must be very happy about the Crown Prince's joining."
With that, Dichai put her cloak back on, opened the door, and led A Yu out.
"Shinri Patriarch, we two will go ahead first. The plan will proceed as scheduled."
"I understand, leave it to me."
Yu withdrew his gaze from Shinri Keito and gestured for his guards not to follow.
Following behind Dichai, he said with some regret.
"It's a pity that I didn't learn the so-called 'Breathing Technique'."
After listening to Dichai's explanation, he already knew that the Breathing Technique was a skill specifically designed to subdue demons.
Since the two are mutually exclusive, it is impossible for someone who chose to become a demon to learn the Breathing Technique.
"Nothing is definitive."
Dichai, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at A Yu, letting out a strange laugh.
"If you really want to learn Breathing Technique, I also have a way."
"Oh?"
Squinting, A-Yu's first thought wasn't whether Dichai's words were true or false, but rather why she would tell him that.
In his explanation just now, Dichai did not mention that he had this ability.
Judging from Shinri Keito's expression, he doesn't seem to know that demons can learn Breathing Techniques.
"The Breathing Technique learned before becoming a demon will not disappear after becoming a demon."
"Why did Mr. Dichai tell me this in private?" A Yu said with a slight smile, "Shinri Patriarch was your first partner, wasn't he?"
"Which is better, a nobleman or a member of the royal family? I think you should know very well."
"In that case, I'll leave it to Mr. Dichai."
As he spoke, Ayu extended his right hand.
A large, scaled hand emerged from beneath the cloak and gave a few simple handshakes.
"I will send people to find the so-called Blue Spider Lily, and I will inform Mr. Dichai as soon as it is found."
"Your Highness Ayu is indeed a wise man."
With a chuckle, Dichai's tone became more sincere.
"It's a pleasure to work with you."
"It's a pleasure to work with you."
Soon, led by Dichai, the figures of the human and the ghost disappeared around the corner of the street.
After a long time, A-Yu reappeared, but Dichai was not with him.
In his hand, a bottle containing red liquid was gripped tightly.
Upon finding his guard again, before the guard could even ask where he had been, A-Yu spoke with a cold expression.
"What I do is none of your business."
Amidst the anxious and fearful apologies of the guards, he looked again at his most trusted head guard.
"Take me to your mansion and prepare a quiet room for me."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Although he didn't know why Ayu wanted to go to his house, the head guard still replied respectfully.
Soon, under the protection of the guards, Ayu walked in another direction.
He has not shown his face since he moved into the head of the guard's house.
Only one order after another was issued, relayed to the ears of the subordinates through the chief guard.
Chapter 536 The Threatened Gyokko
One morning, while Scribe was eating breakfast, he suddenly heard someone next to him say loudly.
"Have you heard? Crown Prince Ayu's men have all been mobilized, with only a small number left to guard the city."
The diners sitting next to him looked puzzled upon hearing this and asked.
"What happened? Tell me in detail."
With a chuckle, the man stopped pretending to be mysterious and slowly began to speak.
"A friend of a relative of mine has a brother who serves as a bodyguard to His Crown Prince. I heard from him that he was out looking for something."
"What is this mysterious thing?"
"How would I know? I'm not the Crown Prince."
"Tch, then why are you being so mystical?"
"Speaking of which, hasn't the Crown Prince returned yet? Did the guards go out to look for him?"
A diner's question sparked a heated discussion, with many people expressing their opinions and giving various reasons.
The Scribe, sitting not far away, shook his head slightly; he did not believe that Ayu had disappeared.
Indeed, I haven't seen Ayu come back since I arrived here.
But besides himself, there was probably no one else who could command so many guards in the mansion.
If they were really looking for A-Yu, they wouldn't have left some people behind to guard the house.
Therefore, the Scribe believed that Ayu was hiding somewhere, secretly issuing orders.
Why is he hiding? Is he afraid of something?
His brain raced as Scribe tried to piece together the fragmented information he had gathered.
Ultimately, due to the lack of information, no reasonable conclusion was reached.
"Speaking of which, the demons have been much quieter since the incident in the Swordsmith Village."
Based on the original storyline, Muzan should be secretly accumulating power at this time, waiting for the opportunity to eliminate the Demon Slayer Corps.
But this is the real world after all, and memories can't be 100% accurate.
Many things require careful consideration and judgment to arrive at a relatively reliable result.
"Wait three more days. If Ayu still hasn't returned, then we'll consider other things."
Three days passed quickly, but Ayu still did not return to the mansion.
During this time, Scribe also secretly went to his residence to investigate, but found no sign of his return.
As the diner had said, many of the people inside had been sent out, leaving only a small number of staff.
Axuan also sensed that something was wrong.
After realizing that his brother had not returned for a long time, he once again sent someone to meet with the Scribe, trying to win him over to his side.
But every time someone came to his door, either his arm was broken or his leg was snapped by the Scribe.
In the end, Axuan seemed to have given up on his plan to win over the Scribe and stopped sending people.
On the third night, the Scribe stood in front of Ayu's mansion once again.
As before, there was no sign of anyone returning.
He shook his head helplessly, deciding to leave tomorrow.
But just before his departure, a new rumor emerged.
Large numbers of ordinary people, especially the poor, have mysteriously disappeared.
In just one night, more than thirty people disappeared.
According to some onlookers, the scene was very strange.
In some homes, food was still on the table, and water was boiling in the kettle.
It was as if someone had been laughing and talking in the room just moments before, and then vanished into thin air in the next second.
The perceptive Scribe quickly realized that all of this was the work of a ghost.
But we just don't know why they arrested so many people, or what their purpose was.
In a certain mountain, Kokushibo was walking towards a cave.
Before long, a beautiful vase appeared in front of him.
"I heard you've captured quite a few people for Muzan?" Kokushibo said. "Why is there a sudden need for so many humans?"
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh, isn't this Kokushibo?"
Accompanied by eerie laughter, the figure of the Gyokko crawled out of the pot.
"It was that Biwa Woman who said it. Lord Muzan wants me to help her capture a group of humans and imprison them in the Infinity Castle."
"Um?"
Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt appeared in all six of Kokushibo's eyes.
There are only two reasons for capturing humans.
Eat, or transform.
As the demon who had followed Muzan the longest, Kokushibo naturally knew that so many humans could not be eaten in a short time.
Not to mention, such a large-scale capture of humans has already caused panic in human society.
It's unlikely that this will happen again in the Kyoto area in the short term.
"Could it be that it's because of Dichai?"
After a moment's thought, Kokushibo pondered.
"Ever since that guy had that conversation with Muzan, the demons have become much more restrained, as if they are waiting for something."
"What's wrong, Kokushibo?"
Looking at Kokushibo was deep in thought, Gyokko asked.
"What problem have you encountered that you need my help with?"
"No, it's not a big problem."
His gaze gradually returned to calm as Kokushibo then spoke to Gyokko.
"However, I do have something I need to tell you."
"Please speak."
Gyokko naturally held some respect for Upper Rank One in front of him.