Finally Meeting the Scum Boss

As he thought this, a surge of people suddenly welled up on the road ahead, the crowd gathering together and becoming dense.

Many people had expressions of anticipation and excitement on their faces, as if they were waiting for something.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze was also drawn over.

"My lord..."

"It is the monthly Oiran parade held by the Spring Pavilion."

Masahiro leaned in close to Sarutobi Hiruzen to explain, "At the beginning of every month, the Spring Pavilion organizes the Oiran of their establishment,"

"to parade through the streets outside..."

"I hear that if you are lucky enough to be noticed by an Oiran and receive her token,"

"you can meet the Oiran for free!"

As he spoke, Masahiro's expression couldn't help but carry a hint of profound meaning and longing.

Clearly, every man in Kyoto harbored the dream of getting a free encounter with an Oiran.

One had to know that the money required to meet an Oiran was a massive sum, and that was merely to see her—you could look, but you couldn't touch.

If one wanted intimate contact with an Oiran, it not only cost money, but usually required one to have a prominent status, and it still required the Oiran's consent.

Of course, for someone like Masahiro, if he were to meet an Oiran, he naturally wouldn't be discussing music, chess, calligraphy, or painting; at most, he would be discussing the art of the flute.

"Let's go..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stated that he was absolutely not doing this to get a free encounter with an Oiran, but merely to join in the excitement.

"Let's go see this so-called parade."

Following that, with Sarutobi Hiruzen's powerful physical constitution, he easily squeezed to the front row, and saw the scene of the Oiran parade.

It was essentially a group of strongmen carrying palanquins, while those Oiran sat elegantly atop them, dressed in gorgeous attire for people to admire.

Upon seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression changed.

"Good grief."

"The boss of this Spring Pavilion really has some tricks up their sleeve..."

Although the parading Oiran were dressed in gorgeous, colorful clothing, their faces were all more or less obscured—either their mouths or their eyes, wearing masks made of exquisite materials, giving off a hazy beauty like a pipa player hiding behind their instrument.

"I should have known to borrow a pair of Byakugan from that kid Hyuga Hiashi to take a look."

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt some regret that he couldn't see the Oiran's actual appearance, but judging from the parts of their faces that were revealed, their skin was fair and their features were delicate; the Oiran were clearly beauties chosen from a thousand, or even ten thousand.

And even though they hadn't seen their true faces, the men around them were all surrounding them like wolves and tigers.

Clearly, this effect of not being able to see their specific features was even more potent; men, after all, were fond of this sort of thing.

If it weren't for the strongmen maintaining order nearby, it wouldn't be impossible for these men with green-glowing eyes to swarm forward all at once.

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen was admiring the Oiran parade with the mindset of having a horse in his heart but not on his face, "Ding!"

The system's notification sound suddenly rang out.

"Attention, a Space-Time Node has appeared nearby..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression tightened. The so-called Space-Time Nodes were individuals in this world who gathered luck and talent upon themselves, and the last time the system gave such a prompt, it was when he encountered Tsugikuni Yoriichi.

'But Tsugikuni Yoriichi is still in the Demon Slayer Corps right now.'

'Which means...'

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes drifted, instantly locking onto a figure in the crowd.

About a hundred meters away from Sarutobi Hiruzen, there was a conspicuous man.

He was wearing a wide white kimono, his complexion was pale, a head of curly hair draped over his shoulders, and his features were deep and handsome. His expression was relaxed and leisurely, as if he were a young master from some wealthy family out for a stroll.

The only difference from ordinary people was that this man's temperament was quite cold, as if he had no warmth at all. People nearby all unconsciously avoided the man's vicinity, forming an empty space.

A hint of danger flashed in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, as he clearly knew this man's identity.

"Kibutsuji Muzan."

"The source of all demons..."

"The legendary piece of trash."

Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but quip.

"I don't know if I should call this lucky or unlucky."

"It seems that in this world, I easily run into every critical Space-Time Node... or rather, key figures."

"Though, it's not entirely unexpected..."

Last time, I had just arrived at the Demon Slayer Corps when I encountered Tsugikuni Yoriichi, and this time, as soon as I arrived in Kyoto, I saw Kibutsuji Muzan again.

Sarutobi Hiruzen could naturally deduce the reason for Kibutsuji Muzan's presence here.

After all, Kyoto was the core city of the Land of Days, lacking neither nobility nor armed forces. Being in Kyoto made it convenient for Kibutsuji Muzan to command both demons and human factions.

He was using them to search for the Blue Spider Lily.

The doctor who had originally treated Muzan was also a native of Kyoto, so it was naturally assumed that the Blue Spider Lily was located somewhere in the vicinity of the city.

In fact, for the thousand years that followed, Muzan never left the Kyoto region, spending all his time searching for traces of the Blue Spider Lily nearby.

But the Blue Spider Lily does not bloom at night, which left the demons, who could only emerge after dark, feeling helpless.

"He looks truly relaxed."

"Clearly, the Scum Boss hasn't been beaten into submission yet..."

"He still thinks he's an invincible, perfect creature."

Watching the smile on Kibutsuji Muzan's face, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but mock him inwardly.

It was just a pity that such a carefree smile wouldn't last much longer.

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen was observing Kibutsuji Muzan from afar, Muzan seemed to sense something and looked toward his direction.

But Sarutobi had anticipated this and immediately led Masahiro away from Muzan's line of sight.

Muzan frowned slightly but didn't pay it any mind, assuming it was just the gaze of some women; after all, his current skin was quite popular among them.

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't want to cross paths with Muzan, not because he couldn't win, but because it wasn't the right time yet.

No matter how exaggerated a Two-Star World might be, it was still just a Two-Star World.

Kibutsuji Muzan might be strong, but in the Hokage world, he would be stronger than a jonin, yet only to a limited extent.

In the face of a Chakra system capable of large-scale terrain modification, he was nothing more than that.

Not every Two-Star World could produce a freak like Tsugikuni Yoriichi, who could actually put pressure on Sarutobi Hiruzen.

It was just that the creature known as a demon had no other merits, but its tenacity of life was second to none.

In an encounter without proper preparation, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no confidence that he could kill Kibutsuji Muzan completely.

If he startled the Scum Boss and triggered his cowardly nature, causing him to hide for hundreds of years, Sarutobi Hiruzen would be left with nothing to do but curse.

"So, it's better to follow fate for now..."

"Let the Scum Boss meet Tsugikuni Yoriichi as planned, and let him learn how to be a proper demon under the Bright Red Nichirin Sword."

Once the Oiran parade ended, Masahiro still seemed a bit unsatisfied.

"They are truly beautiful, these Oiran."

"And their figures are top-notch, too..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled.

"Then take me there..."

Masahiro was a bit slow to react.

"Where to, my lord!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen walked straight away from the crowd.

"Spring Pavilion."

A short while later, With an excited expression on Masahiro's face, they arrived at what was said to be the best establishment in Kyoto.

The reason it was considered the best wasn't just because of its service and quality.

It was also because of its exorbitant prices.

Regardless, as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, Masahiro had his room and board covered, and he naturally received a monthly allowance from the Ubuyashiki patriarch.

Although his income was higher than that of an ordinary commoner, it was nowhere near enough to afford consumption at a place like this.

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