Demon Slayer: Muzan, will you dance too?

"Is there something you need?"

Shinobu Kocho asked with a smile, having heard what Kasugai-rai had said earlier.

But Kiyokawa Izumi's gaze was too strange.

"Ahem, Omnipotent and most respected Insect Pillar, well, I do have a request."

Kiyokawa Izumi offered insincere compliments to the person in front of him, his face plastered with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Shinobu's lips twitched slightly, and she almost couldn't maintain her smile.

She took a deep breath and asked, "What is it?"

"It's not something too outrageous. Um, I've heard from other swordsmen that you're extremely skilled in pharmacology and medicine, and that the poisons you concoct can even kill evil spirits. Could I borrow some?"

Kiyokawa Izumi rubbed his hands together, bent over, and looked at Kocho Shinobu with anticipation.

"Is that all?"

Shinobu Kocho raised her delicate eyebrows slightly and said thoughtfully, "I thought you wanted me to go with you."

"May I?"

Kiyokawa Izumi was overjoyed and quickly asked.

"Of course...no!"

Shinobu Kocho paused deliberately before emphasizing her words.

Only after seeing the disappointment on someone's face did he continue speaking with a smile.

"Preparing some toxins for you isn't difficult. When are we leaving?"

"We can leave anytime."

Kiyokawa Izumi said seriously.

No matter how hesitant or confused he may be, once he accepts a task, he will not deliberately delay it.

I won't deliberately dawdle here out of fear.

"I see..."

Shinobu looked at Izumi Kiyokawa with some surprise, thinking he would be very unwilling.

"Take care on your journey!"

The petite girl spoke softly to the person in front of her.

Her hair fell unconsciously over her shoulders, and a natural smile curved her lips, like a flower blooming in spring.

Kiyokawa Izumi remained silent for a moment, then nodded quietly.

The heartfelt concern and well wishes touched him.

He hadn't heard anything like that in a very, very long time.

……

Before noon, Kiyokawa Izumi had already set off, carrying five rice balls in his arms, clearly dry rations for the journey.

"Northeast, Northeast!"

The low-flying raven kept saying this.

As they continued their journey, Kiyokawa Izumi did not forget to maintain her breathing technique, but this was clearly very difficult.

He had only recently mastered the breathing technique and had not yet reached the level where he could attempt full concentration.

It's just a conscious practice of breathing techniques.

You want your body to get used to and remember this breathing rhythm.

What frustrated him most was that he didn't know where he was going or how far it was; the ravens beside him only knew how to report the direction.

He traversed mountains and forests, and fields, leaving him no time to appreciate his surroundings. Even when he encountered passersby, he would only brush past them in a hurry.

When his strength was depleted to a certain extent, Kiyokawa Izumi sat down against a big tree, took out the rice ball from his pocket, and quickly ate it with water.

It wasn't particularly delicious.

Whenever I eat rice balls, I can't help but recall the delicious food from my past life.

Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine... just thinking about them makes my mouth water.

"Northwest, Northwest!"

A sharp sound rang out, and Kiyokawa Izumi complained helplessly.

"How much longer? Why isn't there a more convenient way to get around? For example, why can't we provide each team member with a bicycle?"

"We're not counting on rickshaws, but we should at least have bicycles, right?"

If I remember correctly, bicycles already existed during the Meiji era.

Traveling on foot is a bit sluggish and inefficient.

The raven that fell from the sky landed on Kiyokawa Izumi's shoulder, tilting its little head slightly, looking as if it didn't understand what he was saying.

"Northwest! Go now!"

"You have to give me some time to rest, right?"

After a brief silence of a few breaths, the raven continued, "Rest, that's all! Let's go!"

"How long has it been? Don't rush me!"

Kiyokawa Izumi said, somewhat exasperated.

……

As the sun set, Kiyokawa Izumi barely made it to the town where the evil spirits were suspected to have appeared.

An unnamed stream flows through the town; the water is fairly clear, and a few fishing boats are quietly moored on the bank not far away.

The town is divided into east and west sides, with two stone bridges spanning the middle. There is a constant flow of pedestrians, making it quite lively.

Kiyokawa Izumi stood on the bridge, gazing into the distance. Dozens or even hundreds of wooden townhouses stood in neat rows, their undulating black-tiled roofs resembling waves of ink.

In addition, there are also very rare post offices and cafes. It seems that the new winds of the times have blown here. Kiyokawa Izumi raised his eyebrows slightly. Although he was a little surprised, he didn't care too much.

He came here only to slay the evil spirits.

Just then, the sound of conversation not far away caught his attention.

"Ugh."

The old man rowing his small fishing boat sighed helplessly, "It's happened again. Children always go missing after nightfall."

"That's terrifying!"

The middle-aged man said with a gloomy expression.

"Enough of that, let's get them out of the water first."

Another person couldn't help but speak, their expression somewhat unpleasant.

Some pedestrians on the shore were watching, and such a commotion naturally caught the attention of Kiyokawa Izumi.

After observing for a while, Kiyokawa Izumi frowned slightly.

The three people in the small fishing boat were not fishing.

They pulled a young woman who had attempted suicide by jumping into the river from the water.