Let Him Go, I'll Be the Sacrifice!

The next day, Hiruma changed his attire. With a fish basket on his back and a convincing act, he blended in with the villagers in less than half a day. His identity was simple: a fishmonger from town.

No one in Fish Scale Village suspected him, as the villagers themselves made a living by fishing.

He ambled around the village when he had nothing else to do, ostensibly looking for good sources of fish, but in reality, he was searching for Giyu's sword and gathering information.

His efforts paid off. He actually found a brat running around with a sword sheath. Following the child, he arrived at a house.

It was a wooden structure located in the very center of the village, but its size was much larger than the other houses. He guessed this must be the Village Chief's home.

An old man was basking in the sun in the yard. Hiruma cheerfully started a conversation.

"Old man, I'm a fishmonger from out of town..."

Before he could finish, the old man glanced at him and uttered a single word.

"Scram!"

His attempt to strike up a conversation failed. Hiruma silently took out a wad of cash from his pocket. If there was one thing the Demon Slayer Corps had, it was ample funds.

He deliberately dangled the wad of money, saying with feigned regret, "Ah, what a shame. My money can't be spent here!"

"I also heard that the fish catch in this village is quite good!"

The old man looked again, and his excitement almost made him fall off his lounge chair.

In the blink of an eye, the yard gate swung open, and the old man, with a look of enthusiastic hospitality and fawning, said:

"Esteemed guest, please come in. Our village's fish catch... I'm not exaggerating when I say..."

The power of money was, as always, beyond imagination.

The old man poured Hiruma good tea and began to flatter him, his wrinkled face beaming with a smile.

"I see you're an extraordinary young man. You must be from a distinguished family, wouldn't you say?"

Hiruma nodded. Since the old man enjoyed making assumptions, he let him. He handed the money to the old man, waving his hand generously.

"Village Chief, take this. Let's be friends!"

"We can discuss business more easily in the future!" The Village Chief's eyes lit up as he received the money, his smile wide.

Hiruma seized the opportunity and asked, "Ah! My father enjoys collecting swords and the like. Earlier, I saw a child carrying a sword sheath..."

As he spoke, he produced another wad of money. There was no need to finish his sentence; the Village Chief understood immediately. After all, the sword had been obtained from that kid who damaged the shrine, and surprisingly, it could be sold for money.

Soon, the Village Chief came out, carrying the sword. He handed it to Hiruma, asking, "Is this the sword you were referring to, young sir?"

"Yes!" Hiruma pushed the money towards him and took Giyu's sword.

"By the way, I'd like to ask about someone: Anxia Niaozi."

"I received a favor from her and wish to repay it."

Hearing this, the Village Chief's furrowed brow relaxed, and he began to recount some things about Tsutako.

"Originally, Anxia's family was quite happy. Unfortunately, five years ago, her parents disappeared mysteriously. The child was still young, and everyone pitied her, so they took care of her. She was raised by the community, so to speak."

The Village Chief sighed deeply. Hiruma felt that the pity he expressed wasn't feigned. Hearing the Village Chief say this, he realized the villagers treated her well.

Then why was there talk of a sacrifice?

That girl was still hiding something.

Hiruma didn't dwell on it. The girl wasn't a bad person anyway. He chatted with the Village Chief for a while, leaving him completely bewildered.

Towards evening, he "left" Fish Scale Village, changed back into his uniform, and waited for his "fishing" plan to commence.

In the early hours of the morning, Anxia Niaozi set off for the dilapidated temple. She had secretly peeked there during the day and saw that Giyu was still locked inside.

At this point, she realized, With such thick chains, how could they possibly open them without a key?

She shouldn't have rushed away yesterday.

As Anxia Niaozi entered the dilapidated temple, Hiruma went to report to the Village Chief's house, though he remained unseen.

This way, when the villagers caught Anxia Niaozi releasing the prisoner, they would have to offer the sacrifice in advance to avoid further complications.

Inside the dilapidated temple, Anxia Niaozi unlocked the iron chain. Just as she was about to untie the ropes, the temple door opened.

More than a dozen young men holding torches entered, led by the Village Chief. They were the strong laborers of the village.

"Tsutako, what are you doing? This is outrageous!" the Village Chief scolded. He waved his hand, signaling the men behind him to pull Tsutako away.

Seeing that her actions were exposed, she shielded Giyu as fiercely as a mother hen protecting her chicks.

"No, he must be released today."

No one noticed that she had acquired a short knife. Before anyone could react, she had already held the blade to her throat, threatening:

"Let him go, and let me be the sacrifice!"

"I should be the sacrifice!"

In fact, Anxia Niaozi knew everything. The Village Chief was using his authority to rally the villagers to abduct outsiders for her sake.

"It's fine if an outsider dies, but how could I face your parents if you died?"

"Be good, put the knife down!" Fearing Tsutako would take her own life, the Village Chief's tone immediately softened.

Five years ago, a monster appeared in Fish Scale Village. It crushed many villagers and demanded that they offer a child as a sacrifice five years later.

Everyone in Fish Scale Village knew that the monster was beyond human strength and that they had to comply with its demands.

The monster requested a child, but the Village Chief knew very well that no parent would agree to send their child to their death. Therefore, the only option was to offer a child without parents.

However, Anxia Niaozi was the only orphan in all of Fish Scale Village.

Thus, when the Village Chief was about to buckle under the pressure, Giyu appeared. An outsider was enough to resolve the conflict.

The villagers immediately agreed, as it meant an outsider would be sacrificed.

Things have reached a point where it's difficult, but also quite simple: just kill the demon.

But who would believe that the sacrifice they were about to send was someone who specialized in hunting monsters?

"Damn it, I'm going now!"

"My apologies!"

Giyu's brief words silenced the tense atmosphere.

Everyone present looked at Giyu in disbelief. To them, Giyu's words meant, "Just send me to my death."

Especially when he politely added, "My apologies."

Just then, Giyu remembered he had forgotten to tell Anxia Niaozi the plan. But at this point, it didn't matter.

"That's a suicide mission, you idiot!" Anxia Niaozi glared at Giyu, scolding him with annoyance.

"I won't die!" Giyu retorted, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"Alright then, I'll go with you!" Tsutako put down her sword and bowed deeply to the Village Chief. "Grandpa Village Chief, I'm sorry, please let me go."

"If I live, it will prove he's telling the truth. If I die, this was my fate anyway."

"Nonsense!"

"He's about your age! How could he possibly defeat that monster!"

Just as the Village Chief finished speaking, a faint blue figure flashed before his eyes. Immediately after, a scream erupted from behind him.

The Village Chief mechanically turned around. The dozen or so young men who had come with him all collapsed. Giyu's expression remained impassive, his deep blue eyes like an unfathomable ocean.

His tone was steady as he asked, "Old man, do you believe me now?"

The current situation was exactly as Hiruma had envisioned. He had only told Giyu one way to break the deadlock:

Make others realize your power.

And it proved to be very effective.