The next day, Hiruma changed into a different outfit. Carrying a fish basket on his back, he blended in among the villagers in less than half a day with his convincing acting. His identity was simple: a fishmonger from town.
No one in Fish Scale Village suspected him. After all, the villagers made their living by fishing.
Whenever he had nothing to do, he wandered around the village under the pretense of looking for quality suppliers. In truth, he was searching for Giyu's sword and gathering information.
His efforts paid off. He really did spot a little brat running around with a scabbard. Following the child, he arrived at a residence.
It was a wooden house located in the very center of the village, but it was much larger than the other homes. It was probably the village chief's house.
An old man was sunning himself in the courtyard. Hiruma smiled warmly and struck up a conversation.
"Sir, I'm a fish merchant from out of town..."
Before he could finish, the old man glanced at him and flatly spat out one word.
"Get lost!"
His attempt at conversation having failed, Hiruma silently pulled a stack of money from his clothes. The Demon Slayer Corps lacked for nothing, especially funds.
He deliberately waved the stack of money in his hand and sighed regretfully. "Ah, what a pity. Looks like I won't be able to spend this money."
"I heard the catches in this village were quite good, too!"
The old man glanced over again. Startled, he nearly fell out of his reclining chair.
In the blink of an eye, the courtyard gate swung open. Wearing an ingratiating, hospitable smile, the old man said,
"Esteemed guest, please come in. The fish caught in our village... I'm not bragging, but..."
The power of money was always beyond imagination.
The old man poured Hiruma some fine tea and did not forget to flatter him. Even the wrinkles on his face seemed to be smiling.
"From the look of you, young man, you are clearly extraordinary. You must be from a distinguished family, aren't you?"
Hiruma nodded. Since the old man liked making assumptions, he would let him. He stuffed the money into the old man's hand and waved grandly.
"Village Chief, take it. Consider it a token of friendship!"
"Business will be easy to discuss in the future!" The village chief's eyes shone as he took the money, his face beaming.
Hiruma struck while the iron was hot and asked, "Ah! My father enjoys collecting swords and such. Just now, I saw a child carrying a scabbard..."
As he spoke, he pulled out another stack of money. He did not need to finish; the village chief understood immediately. That sword had been taken from the boy who had smashed the shrine. He had not expected it to be worth money.
Before long, the village chief eagerly brought out the sword. Handing it to Hiruma, he asked, "Is this the sword you meant, young man?"
"Yes." Hiruma pushed the money over and put away Giyu's sword.
"By the way, I'd like to ask you about someone—Anxia Niaozi."
"I once received a meal from her and would like to repay her kindness."
At that, the village chief's tightly furrowed brow relaxed, and he began telling Hiruma about Tsutako.
"Originally, the Anxia family was quite happy. Unfortunately, her parents vanished under strange circumstances five years ago. She was still young then, and everyone pitied her, so we looked after her from time to time. You could say she was raised on food from every household."
As he spoke, the village chief let out a long sigh. Hiruma felt that the pity was genuine. From what the village chief said, the villagers had treated her well.
Then why was there talk of a sacrifice?
That girl was still hiding something.
Hiruma did not dwell on it. The girl was not a bad person anyway. He chatted and bragged with the village chief for a while, leaving the old man thoroughly dazzled.
By evening, he "left" Fish Scale Village, changed back into his Corps uniform, and waited for the fishing operation to begin.
Before dawn, Anxia Niaozi set off for the ruined temple. She had secretly gone to check during the day, and Giyu was still locked inside.
Only then did she realize it. With chains that thick, how could they possibly open them without a key?
She should not have run away so hastily yesterday.
After seeing Anxia Niaozi enter the ruined temple, Hiruma went to inform the village chief. Of course, he did not show himself.
That way, the villagers would catch Anxia Niaozi freeing him. To avoid dragging things out, they would have no choice but to offer up the sacrifice early.
Inside the ruined temple, Anxia Niaozi unlocked the chains. Just as she was about to untie the ropes, the temple doors opened.
More than a dozen young, able-bodied men carrying torches entered behind the village chief. They were all the village's strongest laborers.
"Tsutako, what are you doing? This is utterly absurd!" the village chief barked. He waved a hand, signaling the men behind him to pull Tsutako away.
With the matter exposed, she shielded Giyu behind her like a mother hen protecting her chicks.
"No. He must be allowed to leave today."
No one noticed that a short blade had appeared in her hand. Before anyone could react, she had already pressed it to her throat and threatened,
"Let him go. Let me be the sacrifice!"
"I should have been the sacrifice in the first place!"
Anxia Niaozi actually knew everything. The village chief had used his authority to rally the villagers into kidnapping an outsider for her sake.
"An outsider's death means nothing. But if you die, how could I ever face your parents?"
"Be good. Put the knife down!" Afraid that Tsutako would take her own life, the village chief's tone immediately softened.
Five years ago, a monster appeared in Fish Scale Village. It easily crushed many of the villagers, then demanded that they offer up a child as a sacrifice five years later.
Everyone in Fish Scale Village knew that the monster was beyond human ability to resist. They had to obey its demand and offer a sacrifice.
The monster demanded a child, but the village chief knew very well that no parents would agree to send their own child to die. That meant they could only send a child without parents.
But Anxia Niaozi was the only orphan in all of Fish Scale Village.
Then, just as the village chief was about to buckle under the pressure, Giyu appeared. An outsider was enough to resolve the conflict.
The villagers immediately agreed, since the one being sent away was an outsider.
With things having developed to this point, it was difficult to handle, yet also easy to handle. They only needed to kill the demon.
But who would believe that the sacrifice they were about to offer was someone who specialized in hunting monsters?
"I'll go. Right now."
"Sorry for the trouble."
Giyu's two short sentences completely silenced the explosive atmosphere.
Everyone present stared at Giyu in disbelief. To them, what he meant was, "Let me go die instead."
Especially since he had even politely said, "Sorry for the trouble."
Only then did Giyu remember that he had forgotten to tell Anxia Niaozi about the plan. But at the moment, that was no longer important.
"That's sending yourself to your death, you idiot!" Anxia Niaozi glared at Giyu, snapping at him angrily.
"I won't die!" Giyu retorted, his tone beyond question.
"Fine, then I'll go with you!" Tsutako lowered her knife and bowed deeply to the Village Chief. "Grandpa Village Chief, I'm sorry. Let me go."
"If I live, it proves what he said is true. If I die, then this was my fate to begin with."
"Nonsense!"
"He's about the same age as you. How could he possibly defeat that monster!"
Before the village chief had even finished speaking, a pale blue figure flashed past his eyes. Immediately afterward, a scream rang out behind him.
The village chief turned around stiffly. The dozen or so young men who had come with him had all collapsed to the ground. Giyu still wore the same expressionless face, his deep blue eyes like a bottomless sea.
In an even tone, he asked,
"Sir, do you believe me now?"
What was happening now was also within Hiruma's expectations. He had only told Giyu one way to break the deadlock—
Make others realize how strong you are.
The facts proved that it worked.
Before you continue