Tanjiro's roar directly interrupted the battle that was about to erupt between Shinobu Kocho and Giyu Tomioka.
Shinobu Kocho was clearly very confused by Tanjiro's words. She tilted her head slightly, looked at Tanjiro, and asked,
"You said he's a mage? The kind who performs tricks in a theater?
A powerhouse from the Heavenly Human Realm, hmm... I feel like I've heard of that somewhere."
After saying that, Shinobu Kocho took another careful look at Dan Lei and Kojiro Sasaki. Sure enough, she discovered that the two men's auras were extraordinarily strange, so she turned to Dan Lei and asked,
"Then, Mr. Mage, why did you come to hijack the convoy?"
Dan Lei answered directly,
"I never planned to hijack the convoy. I only saw Tanjiro tied up here, so I came over to ask what was going on. Didn't you notice that I didn't even untie the ropes binding him?
"As for disarming the guards afterward, I simply didn't want any unnecessary conflict to occur."
After hearing that, Shinobu Kocho looked at Tanjiro again. She discovered that he was indeed still tied up, but the wounds on his body seemed to have completely healed, so she asked again,
"Then what about his wounds?"
Dan Lei nodded and admitted,
"I healed them."
Shinobu Kocho nodded. She was silent for two or three seconds, then raised her sword again and said,
"I'm sorry, but I can't believe one person can possess three abilities—ice, threads, and healing. You can only be a demon."
However, as soon as Shinobu Kocho finished speaking, reality slapped her in the face.
A Kasugai Crow suddenly flew above Shinobu Kocho, circled overhead, and shouted,
"Message! Message! A message from headquarters! After verification, Dan Lei killed Lower Rank One and Lower Rank Three! Dan Lei killed Lower Rank One and Lower Rank Three! He is an honored guest! An honored guest! Escort him back to headquarters! Escort him back to headquarters!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone from the Demon Slayer Corps looked at Dan Lei again. This time, however, there was no malice in their eyes—only disbelief.
Looking at the Kasugai Crow, Dan Lei complained,
"It isn't strange that I was seen killing Lower Rank Three, but there wasn't a Kasugai Crow anywhere nearby when I took out Lower Rank One. The Demon Slayer Corps really is incredibly well-informed."
In fact, the Demon Slayer Corps hadn't determined that Dan Lei killed Lower Rank One by witnessing it.
Lower Rank One had died, but the ordinary people who had worked for him hadn't. Instead, they had suffered mental breakdowns.
With the Demon Slayer Corps' intelligence network, it was easy to learn from them that the demon controlling them was Lower Rank One. After all, the characters in its eyes had been far too obvious.
Lower Rank One had attacked Dan Lei, and Dan Lei was now standing here completely unharmed.
Furthermore, the Demon Slayer Corps had later investigated the fragments of the train car and the traces at the scene, confirming that a powerful demon had indeed been killed there.
With all that information combined, it was simple to conclude that Dan Lei had killed Lower Rank One.
However, to the members of the Demon Slayer Corps, killing two Lower Ranks—especially two of the higher-ranked ones—was an astonishing achievement. Even Giyu Tomioka, who was not good at expressing himself, couldn't help opening his mouth to ask,
"Mr. Dan Lei, did you really kill Lower Rank One and Lower Rank Three? Or..."
As he spoke, Giyu Tomioka looked toward Kojiro Sasaki.
Giyu Tomioka wasn't looking down on Dan Lei. Judging by their strength, Kojiro Sasaki seemed more likely to be the person capable of slaying two Lower Ranks.
However, when Kojiro Sasaki saw Giyu Tomioka looking at him, he said directly,
"Dan Lei handled both of them alone. I never lifted a finger."
Since Kojiro Sasaki had said that, Giyu Tomioka could only believe him. He sheathed his sword, then bowed ninety degrees to Dan Lei and said gratefully,
"Lord Dan Lei, thank you for helping us eliminate those evil demons."
Giyu Tomioka was being so solemn because he knew that Dan Lei wasn't from this country and had no obligation to remain here to kill demons.
A guest had helped them deal with two formidable enemies, so they naturally had to express their gratitude.
Dan Lei naturally accepted Giyu Tomioka's thanks. After all, he had indeed helped the Demon Slayer Corps.
Seeing that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, and that Shinobu Kocho had also sheathed her sword, Dan Lei used Magecraft Thread to instantly return all the Nichirin Blades on the train to their owners' scabbards. Then he said casually,
"The Kasugai Crow just said you wanted to escort me to your headquarters, right? That's great. I can take this opportunity to meet the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps.
"Oh, and Nezuko can stay with me. I'll take responsibility for looking after her."
Giyu Tomioka and Shinobu Kocho exchanged a glance at Dan Lei's request. The former was silent for a moment before turning around and leaving without a word, clearly having no objections.
Shinobu Kocho actually did have objections. However, the person facing her could kill Lower Rank One and Lower Rank Three alone. Judging by Giyu Tomioka's reaction, he had even killed the stronger of the two. There was no way she could stop him by herself.
Moreover, headquarters had already declared Dan Lei an honored guest. Shinobu Kocho could only greet him with a smile this time.
Thus, Shinobu Kocho stepped forward and said,
"Mr. Dan Lei, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Shinobu Kocho, and I'm the Insect Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps. Since you're an honored guest, you shouldn't stay here. I'll arrange a carriage for you."
Dan Lei didn't refuse the carriage Shinobu Kocho arranged, nor did he try to secure better treatment for Tanjiro. Instead, he left with the box containing Nezuko.
After arriving inside the carriage, it wasn't long before Shinobu Kocho visited again. This time, she brought over some flatbreads, saying that she had made them herself and that they were an apology for the misunderstanding earlier.
Dan Lei wasn't a petty person. After giving them a slight sniff, he used his medical knowledge to determine that the flatbreads probably weren't poisoned, so he picked one up and ate it.
He had to admit that Shinobu Kocho's cooking was decent. The flatbread even carried a floral fragrance, making it quite a good-tasting food for this era.
Dan Lei took the opportunity to praise her,
"Miss Shinobu, your cooking is excellent. The flatbread even has a floral fragrance. It's delicious."
However, the response to this ordinary compliment was,
"Oh my, I'm glad you like it, Mr. Dan Lei. I put some Wisteria flower in the flatbread. Its poison only affects demons and is harmless to humans. If you like it, Mr. Dan Lei, feel free to eat more."
Shinobu Kocho's words nearly made Dan Lei choke.
What the hell, she put Wisteria flower in the flatbread? She clearly doesn't believe I'm not a demon and is deliberately using this to test me.
Although Wisteria flower's poison was indeed almost harmless to humans, in the manga, Shinobu Kocho had continuously ingested Wisteria flower poison for more than a year, filling her entire body with the toxin without suffering any major reaction.
But once he realized that the flatbread was a test, Dan Lei immediately felt uncomfortable. He therefore said,
"Miss Shinobu, let's watch the sunrise together tomorrow."
When Shinobu Kocho heard that, she gave him a brilliant fake smile and said,
"Oh my, Mr. Dan Lei, are you asking me on a date?"
Dan Lei directly shook his head and answered firmly,
"No. However, to prevent you, Miss Shinobu, from putting strange things in my food and water in the future, please be sure to keep the appointment."
Dan Lei's meaning was perfectly clear. To prevent Shinobu Kocho from constantly suspecting that he was a demon, he might as well use the most direct method to verify his identity.
After seeing that Dan Lei hadn't shown the slightest aversion to the taste of Wisteria flower, Shinobu Kocho had already become somewhat convinced that he wasn't a demon.
Still, verifying it with sunlight would naturally be best, so she ultimately agreed to Dan Lei's invitation to watch the sunrise together.
However, Dan Lei directly chose the top of his own carriage as the place to watch the sunrise, showing that he had absolutely no ulterior motives.
Before you continue