Feeling that faint gaze, Teiichi felt no fear, but rather a surge of joy.
This at least proves that the village chief wasn't lying to him; there really is something fishy going on here.
He slightly opened his eyes, wanting to see if he could spot the ghost with his naked eye.
But what met the eye was almost complete darkness; nothing could be seen except for a faint light emanating from the sea.
Helpless, Teiichi closed his eyes again.
I'm trying to figure out how long the breath I took before I completely sank will last.
Far underwater.
Crimson eyes stared at the descending figure.
Normally, he would have rushed up long ago.
but...
The knife slung at the figure's waist made him decide to wait a little longer.
My injury was caused by someone carrying a knife, even though it was because I went ashore.
but.
Wait a little longer, wait a little longer!
Only go up when you're sure the person can't resist!
Several more minutes passed.
Feeling that gaze that was still watching him but never approaching, Teiichi couldn't help but mutter to himself.
Damn it, why is this ghost so cowardly?
I've been waiting for so long and I still don't dare to go on!
With his lungs nearly empty, Ding Teiichi had no choice but to abandon his seduction plan.
The figure, which had been lying motionless on the seabed, suddenly stood up.
Then, with a sudden push off the seabed, his body shot upwards like an arrow released from a bow.
"Pfft!"
Teiichi surfaced from the water, followed by heavy breathing.
The long-awaited fresh air filling Dingyi's lungs brought Teiichi sense of exhilaration.
After looking around and confirming his location, Teiichi quickly adjusted his direction and rowed vigorously toward the shore.
After quickly getting ashore, Teiichi turned around and glanced at the calm sea.
Then he turned and ran towards the village chief's house.
Damn it, this ghost is as cowardly as Mukago!
Mukago - Lower Rank Four.
In the original work, he only appeared once in the Infinity Castle before being Muzan.
The reason for killing him was that he was too cowardly; he wanted to run away as soon as he saw Zhu.
The fact that Muzan said he wanted to run away as soon as he saw a Pillar indicates that Mukago had escaped from the Pillars' grasp several times.
When you encounter a coward like this, most people really have no way to deal with him.
Now, Teiichi can only hope that the ghost doesn't escape, and then see if he can get any more information out of the village chief.
The village chief's house.
The village chief and Hayato sat anxiously in front of the still-standing mat, waiting.
Two or three hours passed slowly.
Unable to contain his anxiety any longer, Hayato turned to his father. "Dad, that guy... he hasn't come back for so long, he should be... gone, right?"
The village chief silently estimated the time, then breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That Demon Slayer should be dead. If he weren't, he would have come back for us long ago!"
"That's good! That's good!"
After receiving confirmation from his father, Hayato finally felt relieved, a weight that had been hanging in the air all night.
He glanced at his father and said, "Then I'll go upstairs to sleep first?"
The village chief glanced at his son and nodded. "Go on, get some rest. I'll go check the gate again, just in case anything happens."
With his father's permission, Hayato turned and went upstairs.
Just as one foot stepped onto the stairs leading to the second floor, the body suddenly stopped, as if remembering something important.
He quickly turned his head, glanced slyly at his father's retreating figure as he walked towards the door, and a mischievous smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
Ugh, you made me worry all night. No way, I have to go and enjoy myself tonight!
He subtly turned around, not continuing upstairs, but stealthily moving towards the warehouse room.
The village chief walked all the way to the gate and opened it.
"Ah!"
Unexpectedly, a figure stood in the doorway.
Upon seeing the figure in front of him clearly, the village chief's body stiffened again.
"My lord, you're back! Did you vanquish that evil spirit?"
"No, that ghost won't come out. I came back to ask if you have any specific information!"
Teiichi shook his head in reply, then walked in by himself.
Seeing Teiichi go inside, the village chief closed the courtyard gate and followed him into the house.
Back at the table, Teiichi didn't notice that the food was cold. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating, replenishing the energy he had used up.
The village chief sat down in his original spot and asked with a puzzled look, "Specific information?"
Teiichi. "Have you seen that ghost on land?"
The village chief thought for a moment and said, "I only saw him on land once."
Upon hearing this, Teiichi turned to look at the village chief, "When?"
"That was at the very beginning. Although he threatened me, I had never killed anyone, and I also felt that he couldn't do anything to me from the shore, so I didn't look for him at first."
"But the next night, he came to my house. He scratched me and threatened me, saying that if I didn't help him find the person next time I went to the market, I would be the one who died."
"Hey, this is where he scratched me back then."
As the village chief spoke, he lifted up his clothes.
There were indeed several large scars on his chest.
Teiichi frowned slightly and asked, "Were you never seen him on land again after that?"
The village chief shook his head. "No, that's all. After he came looking for me that time, I didn't dare not find someone for him, so I haven't seen him Upper Six since!"
"When you were sending people to him later, were they always in the water?"
"Yes!"
Teiichi frowned deeply after hearing the village chief's words.
Are we just supposed to wait for a water ghost to come to us?
But after what I just went through, the water ghost won't come up anytime soon; it might just postpone its revenge for a while.
Are we going to keep a team stationed here indefinitely?
Moreover, given how cowardly that guy was just now, it's not impossible that he won't come at all.
Thinking of this Teiichi's brows furrowed into a tight knot.
He repeatedly reviewed his conversation with the village chief that day, trying to see if there was any useful information.
Suddenly, Teiichi's eyes lit up.
"You said earlier that for some reason, that ghost suddenly asked you to provide him with one person every month?"
The village chief replied, "Yes!"
After receiving confirmation from the village chief, Teiichi began to think while eating.
I was alone for three months straight before.
If suddenly there are more people wanting to eat, something must have happened that caused him to want to eat more people.
He might be injured.
Although ghosts can regenerate indefinitely, it's not without its price.
As the number of rebirths increases, the demon's sanity gradually declines.
If it keeps failing to eat people, it might eventually revert to its original state when it first became a demon—completely out of control!
Therefore, a demon might normally only eat one person every few months or even half a year, but after suffering serious injuries, it will need to eat more people to maintain its balance.
So, does that mean people today are very tempted by this water ghost?
Using people as bait?
He shook his head, banishing the terrible thought.
While this might mean sacrificing one person to save many, it's still incredibly inhumane.
Just then, a crisp sound came from the direction of the warehouse.
"Squeak--!"