Upper Rank Five

Oboro and her maid were taken hostage by the old man and brought to the village shrine.

When he and his companions arrived, some kind of ceremony was taking place, with all the villagers kneeling on the ground in unison, their hands clasped together.

They were praying to something at the shrine with its doors tightly shut.

Several boys and girls stood outside the shrine gate, dressed in traditional kimonos with their faces covered by a white cloth.

The cloth was painted with a pattern drawn in blood, in the shape of a scale.

In the center of the venue lay dozens of unconscious people, all of whom appeared to be out-of-towners staying overnight in Qinglin Town.

There were warriors, merchants, and ordinary people who had wandered here.

Without a word, as a short-haired girl shook the silver bell in her hand, the old man pressed the back of his knife against Long's lower back and threatened in a low voice, "Behave yourself and go over there!"

Then, supported by a maid, Oboro stepped into the pile of people who had been thrown into the open space and were clearly about to become sacrifices.

During this time, Long noticed that the villagers' gazes were all very calm... and some even seemed to be gloating.

The old man also found a corner to sit down on.

The boy, who seemed like a divine messenger, followed along by shaking a handbell. Each time it rang, two burly villagers would drag the unconscious man to the shrine entrance and then leave.

Immediately afterwards, the closed wooden door opened instantly, and something like a rope flashed by, dragging a living person into it.

Moments later, blood began to flow from the gaps in the door panel.

The entire environment was quiet and eerie.

A villager who had captured and sacrificed the dead stepped forward and waited quietly.

A moment later, the shrine gates opened again, and a blood-stained object was thrown out.

"Middle."

The young goddess called out softly.

It was a money bag.

The villagers immediately ran forward, collected the money and valuables, nodded obediently, and returned to their original seats.

"Good."

"Good."

"Down."

As the bells rang in succession, more and more unconscious people disappeared into the shrine, while more and more villagers received rewards of money.

The rewards received appear to be based on a rating.

There are six grades: superior, medium, inferior, good, excellent, and fine.

Oboro witnessed someone receiving a large bag of gold.

It's clear that the villagers here have some kind of cooperation with the ghosts.

Money is useless to demons, but for the villagers of Qinglin Town, it is the means by which they survive.

They could easily rob money themselves, so there was no need for them to go to such lengths; they probably wanted the protection of ghosts...

For the common people, not just anyone can steal from them. If they really offend some troublesome force, the village alone could easily be wiped out.

Moreover, according to the records, a year ago, this Qinglin Town only had twenty or thirty households, but now that number has increased several times over...

Most importantly, its level of development and prosperity is already comparable to some less developed towns.

One year ago was also the time when the shrine was completed.

"Just killing for pleasure? It shouldn't be to satisfy their appetite. Demons are very selective about their food... and they consume only a limited amount in a short period of time. Children or people with rare blood are the best. Unrestrained cannibalism is something only low-level demons would do. A demon with such a powerful aura... is most likely driven by some kind of obsession." Oboro covered his mouth, coughing laboriously, and speculated based on his observations.

Qinglin Town must not hold such ceremonies frequently, otherwise, given the number and trend of deaths, it would be impossible to conceal them.

It's usually held once in a while, and then discussed again after the storm has passed.

Otherwise, the panic it causes would also cause the village to lose a large number of customers.

They are more likely to be targeted by the Demon Slayer Corps.

It wasn't that Ubuyashiki Kuno was too slow or incompetent... The Demon Slayer Corps must have already come to Qinglin Town, but the demons weren't there, so they naturally came up empty-handed.

The Demon Slayer Corps has no authority to deal with the villagers.

In order to catch this cunning devil, we dared not easily alert him.

Besides Qinglin Town, this demon's stronghold must be somewhere else...

"Something went wrong?"

Long's eyes flickered.

The Demon Slayer Corps has always done its best to protect civilians from harm and cares deeply about human life... Now that the number of deaths is increasing, why haven't the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen appeared yet?

Either something prevented them, or they didn't stake out the place beforehand or notice it, which means... Oboro overestimated the Ubuyashiki Clan.

However, it doesn't matter... If the Demon Slayer Corps comes, it will actually be disadvantageous for him.

After a while, only the three of them remained on the ground where the bodies had been piled up.

As the silver bell rang, Oboro stood up first, without needing to be dragged by the two burly men who came over, and stood still on foot in front of the shrine.

He was separated from the ghost hidden inside by only a thin door panel.

The door opened automatically to both sides. Because Oboro was still conscious, the demon did not attack, seemingly gesturing for him to come in...

After stepping inside, the shrine door automatically closed.

The room reeked of blood, and the soles of the shoes on the floor were covered in thick, wet blood.

In a flash.

Inside the pitch-black hut, a few oil lamps were lit.

Long saw the ghost standing in front of him, a bloated and fat man.

The man had a pipe in his mouth and a machete in one hand, chopping up and down at the corpse on the chopping board. The scene was just like a butcher slaughtering a pig. Strangely, although he was incredibly strong when he raised and lowered his knife, the blade made no sound when it hit the board.

There was also a scale on the table.

The man had a round belly, but his arms were muscular and powerful... Because he had become a ghost, his ears were unusually large, and his mouth was not in the proportion of a normal person.

His skin was dark, and there was a faint horn-like protrusion on the left side of his skull.

Of course, what Oboro cared about was not his appearance, but the numbers displayed in his blue pupils as his eyes opened and closed.

Upper Moon, Five!

It seems that this person is very likely Gyokko's ex.

Perhaps the Gyokko has now been transformed into a demon, but the Twelve Kizuki have a 'ranking battle', so the Upper Moon ranking he knows is all settled in later generations.

During the Edo period Muzan, after Muzan believed that he had severed all the inheritance of the Sun Breathing, he mainly did a few things.

He wandered all over the country, and wherever there were no rumors of ghosts, he would sow seeds there.

Another strategy is to specifically seek out followers in fertile soil.

For example, prisons, desolate villages in impoverished and remote areas, etc.

The Demon Slayer Corps appears to be constantly chasing Muzan, but in reality, they can't even catch a glimpse of him.

Let alone finding Muzan himself, the Demon Slayer Corps would have Muzan hard time dealing with all the demons that Muzan keeps hatching.

It's important to understand that this is not the point where the later plot unfolds yet. It hasn't been long since Yoriichi Tsugikuni died... It's just the Sengoku period, the previous era.

Long smiled contentedly, but in his joy, he couldn't help coughing again. His body swayed, and the coughing motion alone seemed to make him almost unable to stand.

He knew... that the ghost wouldn't kill him immediately if he appeared.

The money villagers could exchange for the deceased who had previously entered the shrine was measured by their 'status'.

Someone like him is undoubtedly the most valuable person in this venue tonight.

It was also the one that remained until the very end, still conscious.

However, his smile made the ghost stop moving.

"What are you laughing at?"

Upper Moon Five said coldly.

"I'm so glad... I can finally get rid of this sickly body. Your dismemberment technique was very swift, so I probably won't feel any pain when I die."

Long chuckled softly, "I was going to die anyway, so I'm quite calm even in this situation. You don't mind, do you?"

"... Aren't you afraid of dying?"

Oboro's words made Upper Moon Five stare at him intently for a few seconds. "I thought someone like you would value your life..."

After speaking, he glanced at Long's calm and composed eyes and said, "You are indeed a little different."

He changed the subject and swung the raised blade down again, but still no sound was made.

The corpse had been perfectly dissected; the flesh was flesh, the bones were bones, and the remains were chopped quite evenly.

The ghost's smile was sinister and cruel. "Humans are no different from cattle and sheep. Their meat can be sold for money, and so can human meat... What price do you think your life would fetch, given your status?"

"Hmm... meat is worthless?"

After thinking for a moment, Long gave a fair answer.

"After all, I am seriously ill, and my flesh and blood may be infected with diseases. My body is just a shell, and it doesn't weigh much..." Long continued, "As for my identity, it is worth some money... However, what I am most valuable is not my identity or background."

What is that?

A murderous glint had already appeared in Upper Moon Five's eyes.

"I have something priceless."

"Priceless?"

"My soul... do you want it?"