Surprises Are Necessary

The spring snow melted.

In the blink of an eye, winter has passed.

One day, when Kamado Tanjiro accompanied his father down the mountain again, the two found that Oboro's residence was deserted.

The gate was locked.

The people left... without saying goodbye.

They remembered that Long had said he came from Entertainment District, and now... he must have gone back.

This is in line with Oboro's personality... The other party came just to see the Sun Breathing, and getting to know their family was just a side thing.

Kamado Tanjiro felt it was a pity that he couldn't properly say goodbye to Mr. Oboro beforehand.

In Kamado Tanpei's view, Ryougi knew he was about to die... such a strong person did not need pity.

He possessed an unyielding spirit.

"The two of you."

Looking at the tightly closed courtyard gate, Tan Ping patted his son on the shoulder and prepared to leave.

Just then, a servant boy ran over carrying a square box.

"This is what that lord entrusted me to give you before he left... to be precise, it's for Kamado Tanjiro." The man presented the things left behind by Oboro.

"Thanks."

Tan Ping nodded and accepted it.

Upon opening it, I found a black haori inside the box.

It was exactly the same as the one that Oboro was wearing. This kind of clothing belonged to the nobility and was made of precious materials. It was not something that ordinary people could afford.

It was meant for Kamado Tanjiro to wear after he came of age.

"Father..."

Kamado Tanjiro hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"It may be valuable, but... it's his sentiment."

For Oboro, finding a ghost is very easy.

Even without contacting the Demon Slayer Corps, one can still gather a lot of 'strange' incidents through the Shogunate's channels alone.

This connection is also a significant factor in Ubuyashiki Kuno can quickly mobilize members to hunt demons in various locations.

Moreover, Oboro himself was a high-ranking member of the temple.

Equivalent to the highest level of police force.

His situation is already very bad.

"My lord... this is it."

The following evening, several samurai carrying torches escorted Oboro to a rural village in the Edo region.

These samurai were ordered to come from Edo Castle... Mount Kumotori was not too far from Edo Castle to begin with.

"Qinglin Town."

One of them introduced the situation of the village to Long.

It was pitch black, and the village, which should have been bustling with activity, was unusually quiet, unlike what the group had heard about it.

Qinglin Town is located on a major thoroughfare, and there are many caravans and merchants traveling day and night. Refugees coming from this direction, especially those heading to the capital, will mostly pass through this place.

Therefore, even a small village with only a hundred or so households is actually a place of pleasure and entertainment, which becomes even more lively at night. There are taverns and down-on-their-luck geishas... There are many such places, and everyone is just trying to make a living.

But recently, things have been a bit unsettled here. Letters have come in reporting that many people who pass through this area have mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

The officials sent people to investigate, but they had no clue.

"Cough cough cough..."

Long coughed laboriously, his cheekbones thinning, making him look somewhat frightening.

His body was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he needed two maids to support him so that he could stand.

The warriors exchanged glances, but dared not utter a sound.

They had no idea why this important figure, originally from the Northern Magistrate Office, had suddenly started inquiring about Qinglin Town and insisted on having someone accompany him.

If it weren't for Long's background, they wouldn't have gone through all that trouble to come to this godforsaken place.

The current situation in the Shogunate is very unstable, with rebellions and mutinies emerging in various places... The cases in the capital are too numerous to handle, so who will care about those outside the city? Countless people die in Edo Castle every day... There are drunken scoundrels causing trouble, and samurai engaging in gang fights.

The number of deaths and the level of trouble are far more troublesome than in Qinglin Town.

He glanced at the village disappearing into the night and the few scattered lights that remained, and smiled.

There really is something strange here, and it's a big fish.

He smelled the bloody stench in the air... it was coming from the village.

Many died...

Generally speaking, a lone ghost or one with relatively weak strength cannot wreak havoc over a much smaller area or have such a significant impact. Most ghosts act alone and dare not stay in one place for an extended period of time to commit crimes, as this could attract danger.

After all, there are Demon Slayer Corps members watching.

They basically operate on a hit-and-run basis.

Furthermore, due to Muzan's will to control things, in order to prevent a demon from gathering a force that would threaten his position, he would not allow multiple demons to appear or act in a certain area, thus cutting off communication in advance.

During this time, Oboro spent his time at Mount Kumotori, consuming the Blue Spider Lily and devoting most of his time to searching through files in the Edo region... searching through a vast sea of information for clues about the demons. Cases like this, even with the loss of a certain number of people, would not attract the attention of the Shogunate; compared to war, such casualties were insignificant.

Furthermore, ordinary people cannot accomplish this... nor can they detect the trickery involved, and in the end, they can only let it go unresolved.

Looking at the world of Demon Slayer, to measure a demon's power, besides looking at how many Demon Slayer Corps members it has consumed and how many Pillar-level swordsmen it has killed, another crucial point is whether its activity area is fixed and how much damage it can cause to ordinary people.

Daki, Doma, and even Rui from Mount Natagumo Twelve Kizuki all have their own 'place of rest'.

Feeling emboldened and fearless.

Ordinary ghosts aren't worth Oboro's time to search for; if you're going to find one, find a big one.

"At this level of blood gas concentration, at least dozens of people must have died..."

A thought struck Long.

"Go in."

He began to speak.

Then, several warriors led the way into the village.

"Strangeness..."

As soon as they stepped onto the main road of the village, the samurai felt a sense of unease.

The village is very small, with only one main road. Even if there hasn't been much 'business' lately, it's impossible to see no one on the street... not even a dog.

In the current environment, let alone places with people, you can occasionally run into drunkards or refugees even on some official roads.

Splash!

Just as someone was about to knock on the door of a nearby wooden house, a red lantern hanging in a small shop a few meters away suddenly lit up.

Someone moved the old sliding shoji door and poked their head out to look over. "My lords... over here!"

"Um?"

The leading samurai approached, his brows furrowed. "What's going on? Where have all the people of Qinglin Town gone? When I was here last time, it was bustling with activity."

"My lord, you may not know this, but every early spring, a disease breaks out in my Qinglin Town. It's mostly caused by pollen from the mountain flowers. Those who get it develop red rashes and suffer from incessant itching. To prevent the spread to outsiders, most businesses in the village close early during this period... Those who can leave have already left, and those who can't are resting quietly so they can resume serving travelers once this storm has passed." The old man fawned as he ushered the group into the house, his gaze flickering slightly when he saw Long.

"Infectious disease?"

The samurai's expression changed slightly.

"Don't worry, sir, I'm fine..."

The old man hurriedly said.

This is a simply decorated little tavern. Because it's a wooden cabin, the space inside isn't large, with just a few tables and chairs... It can't compare to those in the city at all, but it's enough for passersby.

The old man lit the candlesticks and began to busy himself.

They served several plates of homemade pickled cold dishes, along with coarse, grainy drinks.

Long was helped to a seat first.

The old man also witnessed this scene.

Several warriors, including the two maids, surrounded the ailing young man. Judging from the luxurious haori he wore, his status was clearly extraordinary.

"Grown ups."

After the group sat down, they looked at Long.

"Don't worry about me, you can do as you please."

Long said something.

The samurai breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

They were only ordered to protect Oboro as she came to Qinglin Town; they had no idea what she was going to do or what she wanted to do.

After traveling all day, although the village is somewhat desolate, at least we have a place to stay, and we can drink and eat, which is already quite good.

After drinking the wine, the samurai's faces quickly became flushed.

Oboro and his two maids did not touch their chopsticks.

"Shopkeeper..."

Long glanced at the old man warming wine and cooking beside him and called out.

"Please speak, sir."

"Just now I saw... behind the village, to the southeast, there seems to be a fairly large building. It doesn't look like a house... more like a shrine?"

"Yes... it's understandable that adults are curious. That shrine was only built not long ago, and because of this contagious disease that has been rampant for years, we villagers can only resort to this kind of prayer to pray for peace." The old man's eyelids twitched, and he smiled, pretending to be calm.

Seeing this, Long did not ask any further questions.

The old man subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

The smell of blood was coming from that shrine... The corpses must have been fresh.

Moreover, the entire village is probably staying at that shrine right now.

And that ghost! A ritual?

Or perhaps, like Doma's Infinite Paradise Faith, it formed an organized faction?

If that's the case, that would be wonderful.

The greater the commotion, the more it indicates that the ghost hiding behind it is extraordinary.

Thump! A moment later, without warning, the samurai who were chatting and laughing just a second ago suddenly collapsed, their heads slamming onto the wooden table.

The maid was startled. These warriors had only each drunk a small cup, how could they have lost consciousness? At this moment, the old man who had been facing away from them and seemed to be busy running around suddenly changed his expression, his eyes turned cold, and a sharp knife appeared in his hand. He slowly turned around.

Xiang Long and his maid revealed cruel smiles.

Two women, plus a sickly one, were not difficult to deal with.

He's a veteran.

"As expected... they're in cahoots."

Long sighed inwardly.

He found it boring. He had thought the old man would try some tricks or come up with something more novel... but he didn't expect it to be so low-level.

Can't you be a little more sophisticated? This clumsy trick can only fool these few brainless samurai.

In the eyes of the samurai, there was a strict hierarchy; they were the superiors of the class, and even if these commoners had a hundred times the courage, they wouldn't dare to do anything out of line.

This is prejudice and arrogance stemming from one's status.

"I'll give you whatever you want."

"I am a member of the Shogunate..."

He pretended to be scared and raised his hand.

We're going to teach the old man and the ghost behind him a lesson.

If you're going to cause trouble, then the methods you use can't be too low-level.

You need to know how to create surprises for people...