Tanjiro in the Prison Cart

The location of Mount Natagumo was so remote, it was practically the boondocks even within the island nation. After all, if it weren't for that, the Lower Rank Five, Enmu, would have been discovered by the Demon Slayer Corps long ago.

Because of this, there were very few train services to that area, and Dan Lei waited until the next day but still couldn't get a train.

It wasn't until the rescue team arrived that Dan Lei slapped his head, realizing how stupid he'd been.

The last car of the train had detached. Once the train reached the next station, it would naturally be discovered. For an unimportant route like this, they would naturally seal off the section and organize a rescue.

Of course, there wasn't much of a rescue to be had. All that remained at the scene were scattered metal fragments from the train cars and some bloodstains. After all, the flesh and blood of the ordinary people on board had basically been eaten by Enmu to replenish himself.

Dan Lei didn't reveal himself when the rescue team appeared because he was the sole survivor. The local authorities would definitely want to question him.

However, as the rescue team was leaving, Dan Lei used a suggestion Magic to make everyone believe he was one of them, and he returned to the city with the rescue vehicles.

This whole ordeal, from start to finish, delayed Dan Lei's arrival at Mount Natagumo.

Fortunately, Dan Lei's luck was still quite good, so he didn't come back completely empty-handed.

On the way to Mount Natagumo, late at night, he suddenly saw a large convoy approaching him from the front. The person leading the group was dressed in black, masked, and clearly carried sharp weapons, making them look intimidating.

If ordinary civilians saw such a convoy at this hour, they would naturally steer clear.

Given the social environment of this era, a convoy like this on a wilderness road in the dead of night could easily turn people into the convoy's property.

But Dan Lei wasn't flustered, because these people were Kakushi, the cleanup crew for the Demon Slayer Corps.

Moreover, at that moment, Kojiro Sasaki suddenly spoke through telepathy:

"Dan Lei, Tanjiro is in the convoy, but it looks like he's tied up."

Upon hearing this, Dan Lei immediately used Cloud Chant Technique to make himself invisible.

He could roughly guess the current situation. He was late, the Mount Natagumo incident had already concluded, and Tanjiro was on his way to headquarters.

At this moment, Dan Lei went invisible because he didn't want to get entangled with the Kakushi. If he directly stopped the convoy, he would definitely have to fight quite a few people to see Tanjiro.

The Kakushi were all members without swordsmanship skills, and Dan Lei felt no sense of accomplishment in bullying them.

Therefore, Dan Lei simply went invisible and infiltrated the convoy.

When he saw Tanjiro again, the guy was in a miserable state. Because he was suspected of violating corps rules, the heavily injured Tanjiro had only received basic treatment to stop the bleeding from his wounds before being securely tied up and thrown into a small truck used for transporting goods.

Unlike other injured members who could at least lie in a larger truck with a canopy and have someone look after them.

But it was understandable. It was inconvenient for vehicles to go up the mountain, so people had to be carried down. But once they reached the ground, there was no way they would specifically assign someone to carry Tanjiro.

Near Tanjiro, Dan Lei didn't see the box containing Nezuko. She seemed to be under separate guard.

So, Dan Lei asked Kojiro Sasaki to find Nezuko, then deliberately asked Tanjiro:

"Tanjiro, what did you do? How did you end up like this?"

Tanjiro was groggy from his injuries and needed rest. Hearing Dan Lei's voice, he reflexively replied:

"Mr. Dan Lei, please heal me~~"

This was a true reflex, because during the year Tanjiro lived with Dan Lei, more than half of their greetings involved this phrase.

Dan Lei was speechless. He directly dispelled his invisibility and poured Medicine Dragon Healing the World onto his face, making him sober up properly.

Although Medicine Dragon Healing the World had strong healing abilities, it was still water. Tanjiro was essentially doused with a basin of ice water to the face, instantly waking him up.

However, he was tied up so tightly that upon waking, he could only lie on the board and squirm.

But upon seeing Dan Lei, Tanjiro happily said:

"Mr. Dan Lei, what are you doing here?"

At this moment, the commotion caused by Dan Lei and Tanjiro had already alerted the Demon Slayer Corps members acting as guards.

They saw a stranger standing next to the suspect and shouted, "Who are you!" before reaching for their swords.

However, Dan Lei's actions were faster than these Demon Slayer Corps members. Magic silk shot out, accurately hitting the hilts of all the guards' swords, disarming them before they could even draw them.

Under Dan Lei's control, over a dozen swords clattered and fell around Tanjiro, scaring him into pressing himself against the edge, fearing the swords would fall on him.

However, just as Dan Lei disarmed these ordinary Demon Slayer Corps members, he felt a cold glint stab directly at his head from behind. He quickly condensed an ice sword and swung it upwards to deflect the sneak attack.

At this moment, Dan Lei also saw the attacker: a woman with primarily black hair that turned purple at the ends, a butterfly hair ornament, small stature, not much strength, and a fake smile. Her Nichirin Blade was slender with a barbed tip. It was Shinobu Kocho.

Dan Lei's evaluation was thought internally, but Shinobu Kocho, being very perceptive, sensed something from Dan Lei's expression. She said with a smile:

"Mr. Demon, it's impolite to casually judge others."

Dan Lei was taken aback by this remark and looked at Tanjiro beside him, asking:

"Did I say all of that out loud?"

Tanjiro replied with an embarrassed expression:

"No, you didn't. But now you've admitted it yourself."

Dan Lei was a bit speechless. This woman was indeed cunning and understood psychology. He immediately shouted:

"Giyu Tomioka! Come out here and explain my identity. If we end up fighting, once this misunderstanding is cleared up, I guarantee you'll be facing a double team!!"

At this point, Dan Lei really had no interest in explaining to Shinobu Kocho, whom he didn't know, that he wasn't a demon. It was too troublesome.

The second Dan Lei finished shouting, Giyu Tomioka arrived, and everyone turned to look at him.

But Giyu Tomioka was silent this time.

After about ten seconds, he suddenly said, "Dan Lei, should I call you 'Your Excellency' now?"

Dan Lei almost choked on Giyu Tomioka's words.

However, before Dan Lei could retort, Kojiro Sasaki appeared carrying Nezuko's box, which was bound with iron chains.

When Shinobu Kocho saw that the box containing the demon had lost control, she immediately panicked and, without a word, drew her sword to stab Kojiro Sasaki.

However, Shinobu Kocho's attack was intercepted by Giyu Tomioka the moment she struck.

Shinobu Kocho was clearly angry now, but she still suppressed her rage and asked, "Mr. Tomioka, this is the second time you've stopped me! What's your reason this time?"

Giyu Tomioka replied to Shinobu Kocho's question with an air of justification, "Because you are absolutely no match for Lord Sasaki. You'd lose in one move, and I thought it would be embarrassing for you."

Shinobu Kocho's head was instantly covered in sweat upon hearing this. She couldn't be bothered to waste more words and directly raised her sword, indicating they should settle this with a real fight.

Fortunately, when Tanjiro saw that Giyu Tomioka not only failed to clarify things after coming out but also deepened the misunderstanding, he shouted, "Stop! Mr. Dan Lei is not a demon! He is a magician with incredible powers! And Lord Sasaki is a Grandmaster of the Human Realm recognized by my master!"