"All right, Xiao Hua! Don't let him get away!"
"Meow!!"
On a hill not far from town, Ye Chen and his Palico, Xiao Hua, were hunting several demons. At Ye Chen's call, Xiao Hua hurled the massive Boomerang on his back, slicing one demon clean in half, while Ye Chen's blade severed the heads of two others.
"Whew, good. I've pretty much mastered my current strength now. I just haven't fully developed Xeno'jiiva's abilities yet."
Ye Chen let out a soft breath. He had stayed in this town for three days, working as a meat vendor during the day and heading out at night to find demons to turn into exchange points.
As for why he hadn't left to find the Demon Slayer Corps, he had originally intended to, but the demons around here were just too tempting... no, too plentiful! They were all exchange points! Perhaps because a large town was nearby, demons weren't difficult to find in the area. He had already completed the Skilled Demon Slayer mission and the mission to kill five Intermediate Demons, and his exchange points had soared to an unprecedented total.
"Hmm... I'm already at 3,218 exchange points, and Xiao Hua has reached level 4. This feels way too good!" Ye Chen tipped his head back and sighed. What a rush! I wanted to join the Demon Slayer Corps to work on a Breathing Style, but hunting demons here is just too satisfying! In only three days, he had gone straight from just over three hundred exchange points to over three thousand. The two missions had given him two thousand, while almost all the remaining thousand had come from killing these demons. That alone showed just how many demons there really were nearby.
[Ding, the mission system has refreshed.] Kill a total of 20 Intermediate Demons (5/20). Difficulty: C. Exchange points ×2,000. Kill a total of 500 demons (127/500) to obtain the Professional Demon Slayer title. Difficulty: C. Exchange points ×2,000.
"..." Ye Chen looked over the refreshed missions, the corner of his mouth twitching. The required numbers have multiplied several times over! Isn't this a little terrifying? Even if I wiped out every demon in the nearby hills, who knows whether I'd finish these missions!
"By the way, System, what are these titles good for? Are they just there to hand out missions?"
[Ding, obtaining the final Demon Slayer Title grants a Mystery Reward.]
"Fine, as long as there's something in it for me."
Although he had no idea how many more rounds of this he would need to complete to obtain the final title, Ye Chen couldn't be bothered to dwell on it.
"Forget it. I'll clear out all the demons nearby first, then see how things stand."
Ye Chen shook his head, then narrowed his eyes and flung a Kunai toward a spot in the distance.
"Wait!" A figure dodged Ye Chen's attack and called out to him.
The newcomer was a woman dressed in a kimono, with delicate, pretty features. Her somewhat pale complexion, however, had already revealed that she was a demon. A rather short young demon followed behind her.
"Hmm? This person is..." Ye Chen's expression eased slightly. He recognized these two demons. The woman was undoubtedly Tamayo, the only demon in this world who had escaped Muzan Kibutsuji's control and subsequently created another demon free of his influence. The young demon was naturally Yushiro, whom Tamayo had transformed when he was nearing the end of his life, and who had followed her with unwavering devotion ever since.
"Who are you? Are you demons too?" Despite recognizing them, Ye Chen had to pretend otherwise, so he took up a stance as though preparing to attack.
"Wait. We are demons, but we don't attack humans." Tamayo raised her delicate hand and continued, "We came here to tell you something, and to ask for your help with a few things."
"What is it?" Ye Chen was a little puzzled, but then his eyes shifted slightly as he worked out the gist of it.
"Your constant demon hunting here over the past few days has attracted the attention of many demons. If this continues, Muzan Kibutsuji may even send demons to eliminate you. Do you know who Muzan Kibutsuji is? He's..."
"I know. The Demon Progenitor. I just didn't expect to attract other demons' attention so quickly. Looks like I'll have to rein it in a little." Ye Chen smiled. He really had been rather brazen lately, slaughtering demons near the town where the Demon Progenitor lived. He could hardly have been more audacious. If he kept this up, Muzan Kibutsuji would probably send the Twelve Kizuki after him. Although he wasn't afraid, he didn't want to draw too much attention either.
"I'm glad you understand. Also, I hope you can help us collect blood from some demons." Tamayo was somewhat surprised to hear that Ye Chen knew of Muzan Kibutsuji, but she didn't question him further and instead continued.
"Why?" Ye Chen deliberately put on a puzzled expression.
"We're searching for a way to defeat Muzan Kibutsuji, and we hope you can help us. I intend to study his blood to find a way to turn him back into a human," Tamayo continued.
"Hmm... I could, but why should I trust you?" Ye Chen shrugged. He actually knew Tamayo was sincere, but he couldn't agree outright; that would look too suspicious. Besides, he wanted to learn about demons' habits from her. Though Tamayo wasn't particularly powerful, she was a demon who had lived for over five hundred years and had once been saved by the legendary swordsman of five centuries ago. Her knowledge was surely considerable.
"How about this? Take me to where you live. I have a few questions I'd like to ask you. If you agree, I'll help you." Having thought it through, Ye Chen dispensed with further pleasantries and stated his purpose directly.
"Lady Tamayo! This brat actually wants us to take him to our hideout! He's definitely up to no good! We absolutely can't trust him! He might sell us out the moment he turns around!"
Hearing this, Yushiro became so furious that veins bulged on his forehead. He clearly believed Ye Chen had ill intentions.
"Whether you trust me is your business. If you don't, you're free to leave. In any case, thank you for the information."
Ye Chen spread his hands, indicating there was nothing he could do about it. A deal went both ways, after all. Tamayo wanted him to help collect blood, while he wanted to ask her about demons' weaknesses and habits.
As for whether she could discover a way to turn Muzan Kibutsuji back into a human, he honestly wasn't optimistic. It hadn't been accomplished even in the original story, after all. Even if she could develop such a method, who knew how many decades it would take? All he needed was to keep his head down for a few more years, and killing Muzan Kibutsuji would only be a matter of time.
"All right. Come with me, then." Tamayo studied Ye Chen for a while, then turned and walked away.
"Lady Tamayo!!" Yushiro cried. Seeing that her mind was made up, he could only glare at Ye Chen, remaining on guard against him the entire time.
"My name is Yatsuka Nightstar. Just call me Ye Chen."
Ye Chen smiled faintly. Ignoring Yushiro's shouting, he introduced himself directly.
"My name is Tamayo, and this is Yushiro. Don't let his behavior fool you. He's actually a good boy."
Tamayo smiled and introduced herself as well, then glanced at Xiao Hua. "Is this little cat yours? He can even fight alongside you. How unusual."
"Yes. His name is Xiao Hua. He's a great helper."
Ye Chen answered with a smile, and Xiao Hua raised a paw in greeting.
"You brat!! Don't get so friendly with Lady Tamayo! We still don't trust you!"
Seeing Ye Chen treat him as though he didn't exist while chatting and laughing with the Tamayo he adored, Yushiro stamped his feet in fury.
"...Even introducing myself gets that kind of reaction. This kid really is the jealous type."
Ye Chen gave Yushiro an odd look. Ah, I should forgive his earlier rudeness. He's just a poor, hopeless simp, after all. He knew that Tamayo had had a husband back when she was human.
"Hey, you brat! What's that look supposed to mean? Do you have a death wish?!"