Kirishima Bupai knew nothing of the commotion in Infinity Castle. He simply brought the dyed spider lily to Suzuran Town.
To be honest, he could guess that Muzan probably would not come in person. Back on Spider Mountain, he had given Rui a fright.
That remark had probably dredged up Muzan's thousand-year-old trauma. Even if he wanted the Blue Spider Lily now, he would likely send his two remaining lackeys.
The following night, Kirishima Bupai swaggered along the old road out of town.
Cold moonlight spilled over the ancient road leading to Suzuran Town, making the deep-blue spider lily in Kirishima Bupai's hand look all the more eerie and alluring.
He stopped at the edge of the bamboo grove outside the town entrance and leaned against a thick moso bamboo stalk.
"Rustle..."
His pale fingertips unconsciously stroked the cool petals, and a faint, mocking curve lingered at the corners of Kirishima Bupai's mouth.
"Muzan, oh, Muzan, you coward..."
He murmured to himself, disappointment flickering in his eyes. "You can't wait when you smell the bait, yet you don't even have the courage to take the hook yourself?"
The night wind brushed through the bamboo grove, bringing a rustling sound-and a trace of pressure so faint, yet as heavy as a mountain.
It was not Muzan's cold, clammy stench, steeped in endless greed.
Instead, it was an air of decay steeped in centuries, mingled with an iron will and bottomless despair.
The slight curve of Kirishima Bupai's lips instantly vanished, replaced by undisguised disappointment and pity.
"Ah..."
He clicked his tongue softly and casually planted the blue flower in the soft soil, letting it bathe in the moonlight.
"After all that waiting, all I caught was a wretch who doesn't even know why he exists?"
As soon as Kirishima Bupai finished