Demon Slayer: Can I add points to my Breathing Technique?

This is why the Demon Slayer Corps, with only a few hundred swordsmen, was able to barely cover the entire country and carry out demon-slaying missions in various regions.

Should more soldiers be transferred?

It is necessary, but by the time they arrive, the flowers will probably have withered.

This is not the optimal solution at this moment.

He frowned, staring at the map, pondering where to begin.

After a moment, Igarashi's brow relaxed slightly, and he began to have an idea.

However, when he looked up, he found Xia Xi drawing invisible lines on the map with his fingertips, as if he were analyzing something.

"Jiu Che, do you have something on your mind?"

Xia Xi didn't stand on ceremony, took the map, and gestured on it as she spoke.

"I think we should start the investigation with the more suspicious areas first."

Although the outbreaks occurred in six locations, they are actually not far apart when viewed on a map of the entire Kanto region.

It's entirely within a day's walk.

If it's a ghost, or even one of the twelve ghost moons, this distance is insignificant.

If we use our own walking distance, or even the walking distance of our senior apprentice Igarashi, as a benchmark to calculate backwards...

Xia Xi took a charcoal pencil and began to sketch lightly on the map of Igarashi, drawing circles of similar size with each town as the center.

Six circles overlap in an area to the northeast.

And at the center of that overlapping area, there happens to be a place name marked.

It was one of the first towns to experience an outbreak of the strange disease.

Ueno Town.

"here."

Xia Xi pointed to the town name in the center of the overlapping area.

"If the caster needs a relatively fixed base, but also needs to be able to travel to other locations in the shortest distance, and use the Blood Demon Art to spread the infection to these areas..."

"This place is very suspicious."

Lanzhu nodded slightly.

Xia Xi's deduction almost coincided with his.

Ren stared at the map in silence for a while, then immediately began packing his medicine box.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go to Ueno while it's still early."

……

Ueno Town is much larger than the previous town.

It also became much more lively.

Vendors were still hawking their wares in the market, and while there were few pedestrians, they were not entirely absent. However, upon closer observation, one could still discern the fear and panic hidden in the eyes of some people.

Although the city still appears to be functioning normally, people have begun to maintain a considerable distance from each other.

It was as if they were both tainted with some kind of ominous presence.

The three split into two groups to gather intelligence.

Igarashi visited teahouses and taverns to see if he could gather any information.

After all, the places where information circulates most freely are places like taverns, teahouses, and brothels, where all sorts of people mingle.

The more complex the environment and the greater the population mobility, the easier it is to obtain reliable intelligence.

Xia Xi and Kocho Shinobu went straight to the local hospital.

There are still a large number of patients there who need the medicine made by Shinobu Kocho.

While administering medication to patients, they unexpectedly overheard a concerning rumor from several patients.

Recently, rumors have been circulating here and in several other towns that a "miracle doctor" has appeared in Ueno.

It is said that he has a prescription that can cure this strange disease.

However, the other party's whereabouts were too mysterious. Not only did they never see a doctor during the day, but they also did not have a fixed residence.

Many patients want to seek his medical help, but they don't even know where to start in finding him.

Xia Xi and Kocho Shinobu exchanged a glance.

This miracle doctor...

It sounds suspicious no matter how you look at it.

After obtaining the names and addresses of several people who had been cured by the "miracle doctor" from the patients, the two went door-to-door to investigate further.

However, all the families of the patients who were "cured" saw Xia Xi and her companion come to their door.

It was like encountering a plague god.

They either shut themselves off from visitors or claimed to know nothing when asked.

A miracle doctor?

What kind of miracle doctor?

where is it?

I really don't understand what you're saying.

They finally managed to knock on someone's door just before dusk.

As a result, when the hostess led Xia Xi and her husband to her bedside, the still somewhat weak man seemed to have a stress reaction.

He sat up abruptly as if startled, and angrily rebuked his wife for letting people in.

At the same time, he waved his hands repeatedly at the two swordsmen.

"I won't say anything! I don't know anything about miracle doctors!"

Having finally found a clue, Xia Xi and her companion naturally didn't want to let it go easily.

With a sweet smile that she had practiced countless times on her face, Shinobu Kocho patiently said, "Uncle, please think carefully again, what did that 'miracle doctor' look like? And where did you see him?"

"This can help us find a way to eradicate the plague and save many people."

The patient gripped the blanket tightly and shook his head desperately.

"No, I don't know... I don't know anything!"

After speaking, he glanced at the Nichirin Blades at their waists, seemingly quite wary.

"I've said it before... you can't trust people with knives!"

"I would never betray him!"

Butterfly remained patient, even taking a stack of coins from her medicine box and gently placing them beside the bed.

“Look, we’re not bad people. We’re pharmacists from Tokyo, investigating this epidemic. If you’re willing to share your knowledge, this is our token of gratitude.”

A flicker of doubt crossed the patient's eyes, but it was quickly overshadowed by strong resistance.

So he simply closed his eyes and pretended to be deaf and dumb.

Shinobu's smile froze for a moment, a hint of anger and frustration flashing across her face.

The reasoning has been explained.

They tried using bribery.

This person remained unmoved by reason.

Just then, Xia Xi, who had been leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed, moved.

"Miss Butterfly, let me try."

"Jiu Che, what's going on...?"

The boy walked directly to the bedside, his expression instantly shifting from nonchalant to an almost official, impatient seriousness.

He grinned, leaned down, and pressed his body down, completely enveloping the patient on the bed in shadow.

"Hey."

"Are you provoking the dignity of Tokyo Special Operations Section 9?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it carried a certain cold quality, making the air in the room seem to freeze.

The patient shuddered in fright and instinctively opened his eyes.

Xia Xi kicked away the coins that Butterfly had just placed between them and grabbed the other person's collar.

He tapped the patient's forehead lightly with his index finger knuckle, producing a dull "knock-knock" sound.

Do you recognize this?

Xia Xi pulled out a roughly carved wooden object, painted with silver paint, from his waist. It looked like a token.

It flashed quickly in front of the patient's eyes.

There seem to be a few crooked characters engraved on it.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Special Operations Division 9

"You are now suspected of harboring dangerous supernatural beings and obstructing official duties."

Xia Xi spoke in a monotone, flat tone, yet filled with a sense of oppression, as she slammed the "token" onto the wooden table beside her.

The patient and their family were terrified.

"What?! Not cooperating?"

He didn't wait for the other person to answer before suddenly raising his hand.

With a snap.

A crisp, loud slap landed on the other person's face.

The force was actually not strong.