Meeting Kagaya Ubuyashiki

After a long journey, they finally arrived at the Wisteria house and settled in temporarily.

"I've checked the road; there are no signs of being followed, but we shouldn't stay here long. Once we've rested, we'll immediately relocate to the place arranged by Master."

Sabito remained on high alert. The previous battle against Upper Rank Three had made them realize that their strength was still far from that of a true Upper Rank.

"Sabito, relax. Being anxious won't help now. After all, the Kamado Family is already exhausted; if we push them any further and they develop lasting ailments, the loss will outweigh the gain."

"Sabito, are you afraid of Upper Rank Three? It's fine, you can leave first when the time comes."

"Giyu, you'd better not speak."

The four disciples of Sakonji Urokodaki chatted in the courtyard. They talked about many things, and he learned that the three of them had been acting together. Sabito and Giyu Tomioka had already slain over a dozen demons, and during that time, they had even encountered a Lower Rank, which they managed to kill through their combined efforts.

This had all happened in just about a year, a much faster growth rate than in the original story.

Just then, Kyojuro Rengoku and Kanae Kocho walked over, stared at Suzuki Mufeng, and spoke up.

"Master is holding a Hashira Meeting, and you've been invited this time too, Mr. Mufeng."

"Yes, Mufeng, let's set off quickly now!"

"What about the Kamado Family? If we leave, what will happen to them?"

Kanae Kocho patted Makomo on the shoulder. "Naturally, they will be escorted by the Kakushi. Don't worry, Master has already arranged everything; there won't be any accidents."

"Let's go, it doesn't matter if you're missing from here."

"That's right, being summoned by Master must be a very important matter."

"Mm, you are different from us."

After bidding farewell to the Kamado Family, the group set off immediately, arriving at the secret location where Master resided only after navigating a series of winding paths.

This courtyard was extremely well-hidden; even Suzuki Mufeng and the others were dizzy from following the Kasugai Crow and had no chance of remembering the route.

"Remember to be respectful when you see Master later, Mr. Mufeng. You can't be as cavalier as you were before."

Kanae Kocho leaned in close to Suzuki Mufeng, her lips brushing against his ear as she whispered reminders about what to pay attention to.

Soon, they arrived at a courtyard where the other Hashira and Master Kagaya Ubuyashiki had been waiting for a long time.

In that instant, Kanae Kocho and Kyojuro Rengoku knelt on one knee, while Suzuki Mufeng stood blankly in place, unabashedly scrutinizing the man before him.

Unlike the time when the main storyline began, Kagaya Ubuyashiki's eyes were not yet blind, but his forehead was already covered in poisonous spots.

"Mr. Mufeng, Mr. Mufeng, kneel down quickly."

Kanae Kocho tugged anxiously at Suzuki Mufeng's sleeve with her small hand, but given her strength, she couldn't budge him at all.

"It's alright, Kanae. Suzuki Mufeng, I have wanted to meet you for a long time. You are indeed a man of great talent, to have intercepted Lower Rank Six and fought back and forth with Upper Rank Three. Have you been injured during this time?"

At this, Kyojuro Rengoku responded loudly and enthusiastically.

"No, Master. At the time, it was thanks to Mufeng and Kanae risking their lives to protect the Kamado Family, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to arrive in time."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki nodded with satisfaction and looked at Suzuki Mufeng again, finally ready to state the purpose of today's meeting.

"Mufeng, everyone has seen your contributions over these days. I would like you to become a new Hashira. How about the Light Hashira?"

At this moment, the current Wind Hashira, Hideki Iwasaki, who shared the same fiery temper as Sanemi Shinazugawa, was the first to speak up and question him.

"Master, he just picked up the scraps by killing a Lower Rank Six that had already been heavily wounded by the Flame Hashira. Although his performance against Upper Rank Three was passable, I do not acknowledge his strength."

"Furthermore, kid, what exactly are those strange techniques you used while fighting Upper Rank Three? You call it Onmyodo, but it could also be a Blood Demon Art. So, Master, please allow me to test him."

Compared to the agitated Wind Hashira Hideki Iwasaki, Suzuki Mufeng appeared very relaxed and yawned impatiently. "When it comes down to it, you just want to fight me. That's fine, but can you even stand up right now?"

Stand up?

"Are you looking down on me! Kid, you're dead—"

Thump—

Just as Hideki Iwasaki tried to rise, his half-kneeling leg suddenly buckled, and the next second, he fell face-first into the dirt in front of everyone.

"Iwasaki, your body still needs training."

"Iwasaki, you should exercise more often. You couldn't even hold on after squatting for such a short time."

The Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima and the Sound Hashira Tomoya Sakai teased Hideki Iwasaki, but deep down, neither of them dared to underestimate Suzuki Mufeng. To be able to make a battle-hardened swordsman like Hideki Iwasaki, who had killed over fifty demons, lose his footing like this—they were very curious about what kind of method that was.

"I said it before: as long as you can stand up, I will fight you seriously. Likewise, if you can't even stand up, then don't go around spouting nonsense."

"You stinking brat! I'm absolutely going to beat you to a pulp!"

No matter how much Hideki Iwasaki shouted, he still couldn't stand up, experiencing every high-difficulty gymnastic move from doing the splits to falling over in the process.

"Alright, Mufeng, stop toying with Hideki Iwasaki."

Suzuki Mufeng flicked his finger, and a bubble shot from his fingertip, landing in front of Hideki Iwasaki and bursting.

"You damn brat, are you provoking me!"

Hideki Iwasaki suddenly stood up. This time, he didn't slip again, and everyone was astonished by this miraculous Onmyodo.

"It is truly amazing that such a small bubble could achieve something like this, Mufeng."

"Could it be that it only makes people trip?"

"This technique is hard to explain in a moment, but Master, I would like to speak with you regarding the Upper Ranks."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki was slightly taken aback. Suzuki Mufeng had already thought it through; under the pressure of the battle against Upper Rank Three, Akaza, he realized that while he could indeed defeat him, it would only be possible by exhausting all his trump cards and paying a heavy price.

He truly could not rely on himself alone. He had made up his mind; revealing all the intelligence on the Upper Ranks was the right thing to do.

"Regarding the intelligence on the Upper Ranks, everyone, please step out. I shall have a proper talk with Mufeng now."

The other Hashira wanted to voice their objections, but Kagaya Ubuyashiki stopped them with a look.

That day, Kagaya Ubuyashiki and Suzuki Mufeng talked for a long time inside the room, continuing until the next day, covering intelligence on the Upper Ranks, the organization of swordsmen, the selection process, and various aspects of medical care.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki could not help but sigh with emotion.

"Mufeng, you are truly as I saw in my dreams. You are the key to all of this. In the future, the Child of Light will thoroughly end the life of the Demon King. I entrust everything to you, Mr. Mufeng. Next, please go to the Entertainment District with Kanae Kocho to investigate the Eternal Paradise Faith."

"If it's a blessing, it's not a disaster; if it's a disaster, it cannot be avoided. I will protect Kanae Kocho well."

Since Kanae Kocho would inevitably encounter Doma sooner or later, it was better to be prepared and face the encounter early to resolve the crisis. With him there, escaping with Kanae Kocho would be no problem at all.