Demon Slayer: After raising Shinobu, I died in front of her.

His attire did not seem out of place in this bustling post station.

The raven "Jixiang" quietly landed on the high eaves, its black feathers folded, its eyes scanning every corner of the street like a hawk.

Lingchuan Che then headed straight for the last point of contact marked in the intelligence report, a narrow and secluded alley.

According to surviving eyewitnesses, the Class D squad disappeared at this very spot.

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the ground, walls, and even the cracks in the eaves.

There was no blood, no signs of a struggle, and not even a trace of ghostly energy remained.

It's too clean.

It was so clean it looked as if someone had deliberately erased everything.

Ling Chuanche frowned slightly, then turned and left.

Just as his figure disappeared around the street corner, a pair of eyes suddenly opened in the shadows deep in the alley.

The gaze was fixed on the direction Ling Chuanche had left. A moment later, a thin human boy crawled out from the shadows.

He made sure no one was around before carefully moving a loose brick, revealing a narrow passage that could only accommodate one person at a time.

The boy curled up and struggled to squeeze inside.

The passage was deep and damp. After crawling for a long time, he finally crawled out of a dry well in an abandoned courtyard.

He didn't even bother to brush the mud off his body before rushing into the house.

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic!"

A middle-aged man walked out of the house.

"Oh no!" the boy gasped. "I...I saw those samurai with swords in the street again!"

Has he found you?

"No! I waited until he was far away before I came back!"

"Quickly! Go and report to the lord immediately!"

"Yes!"

The boy responded, but his steps slowed further and further. When he reached the innermost room, he almost dared not approach it.

From the crack in the door came a chilling chewing sound—"Crunch... crunch..."

It looked like a wild beast gnawing on the bones of a living person.

The boy took a deep breath and spoke in a trembling voice, "M-Master..."

The sound stopped abruptly.

The room fell silent instantly.

The next second, the door was flung open!

A dark shadow carrying a strong smell of blood rushed towards them, and a gust of wind nearly knocked the boy to the ground.

"Boy," the monster growled, its face covered in black markings, its golden pupils gleaming coldly in the dim light, "do you know the consequences of disturbing my meal?"

What's most unsettling is the inscription "下谰" (xia er) on the iris of his left eye.

The twelfth month of the Ghost Month, the second of the waning crescent moon, the Bolu (a type of waterwheel).

The boy's legs trembled, and he almost knelt down: "M-Sir...I just saw those samurai with swords again on the street..."

"Oh?" Lulu's eyes narrowed. "Those annoying bugs are here again?"

He whispered, a hint of annoyance in his voice: "It seems that the swordsmen we killed earlier have attracted attention."

We need to find another place before the pillar catches up.

He lowered his head, his gaze falling on the boy, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his lips: "When you came back, that person didn't notice you, did he?"

"No...no! I waited until he was far away before I came back!"

“Is that so…” Rokuro chuckled, “Then I’m relieved.”

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly reached out, his five fingers like hooks, and grabbed the boy's throat!

"Uh... sir..."

The boy's feet were off the ground as he struggled in agony, his eyes filled with despair.

"I'll eat you before I leave, then the Demon Slayer Corps won't be able to find me." Rokuro sneered. "If you weren't still somewhat useful, I would have already made you my snacks."

"My lord...we've tricked so many people for you...we were the ones who lured those samurai here last time..."

"That's why you've survived until now." The five fingers of the wheel clenched, and the bones made a "crackling" sound.

Just as the boy was about to suffocate—

A cold, indifferent voice boomed through the night sky like a ghost.

"Breath of the Azure Sea - Form One - Wave Slash".

There were no footsteps, no warning.

Only a sliver of dazzling blade light descended from the sky, like moonlight falling to earth, so fast that it left no afterimage.

"puff!"

The boy fell heavily to the ground, clutching his neck and gasping for breath.

Meanwhile, Lulu was already standing on the rooftop several meters away, his left arm severed at the shoulder, blood gushing out.

Lingchuan Che stood still, his Nichirin Blade pointing diagonally at the ground, its blade still dripping with demon blood.

"To cut off an arm to survive, as expected of the Lower Moon," he said calmly. "Your reaction was quite quick."

He intended to behead the person with this strike, but he only severed an arm.

The surprise attack ultimately failed to achieve its goal.

Lulu stood on the roof, his eyes blazing with fury: "A pillar?! Damn it! Why would a pillar come to a place like this?!"

He roared, and the flesh and blood at the severed arm surged, regenerating completely in just a few breaths.

"However... you're just a mere pillar! Don't think I'm afraid of you!"

He pushed his arms forward, and the Blood Demon Technique was suddenly activated!

"Blood Demon Art: Storm Blade!"

The blood mist in the surrounding air instantly condensed into dozens of black and red blood blades, which swept in like a storm, tearing through the air and rushing straight at Ling Chuanche!

"Breath of the Azure Sea, Sixth Form: Crescent Moon Thousand Waves!"

Ling Chuanche leaped into the air, his Nichirin Blade drawing arcs in the air, layer upon layer of slashes overlapping like ocean waves, meeting the Blood Blade Storm head-on!

"boom--!"

The two forces collided in mid-air, creating a surge of air and sending tiles flying.

However, in that instant of clash, a glint flashed in Rokuro's eyes: "There's a flaw!"

He leaped high into the air, his body swooping down like a hawk, his hands transforming into sharp claws, aiming straight for Ling Chuan Che Tian Ling!

"Blood Demon Art: Blood Abyss Blade!"

At this moment, Ling Chuanche was in the air, his old power exhausted and new power yet to be generated.

To an ordinary person, this was a sure way to die.

A sinister smile curled at the corner of Lulu's mouth, as if he could already see the other person being torn to pieces.

"So what if you're a pillar?! Die!"

But when he got closer, he froze.

Ling Chuanche's face showed no fear, and his expression remained unchanged.

So calm... as if they had already anticipated everything.

"Breath of the Azure Sea, Eighth Form, Wind Conceals Formlessness".

The next instant, Ling Chuanche's figure disappeared.

It wasn't a dodge, nor an afterimage, but a complete erasure from the spot, as if it had never existed.

"what?!"

The wheelchair's pupils contracted sharply as it frantically scanned its surroundings.

"Where are you?! Where are you?!"

"Shh-!"

A flash of cold light swept past his neck.

There was no pain, only a cool sensation.

Then, the world spun around.

He saw his own body, still standing on the roof, arms outstretched, in a pouncing stance.

His head, however, had already rolled to the ground.

The last thing I saw was the boy, slumped on the ground, staring at me with a look of terror on his face.

"Xia Er's" vision gradually blurred.

The night wind swept by, scattering the flying ash.

Ling Chuanche's figure spun in the air before landing steadily, sheathing his sword with a calm gaze.

"Shinagawa-juku, cleared out."

Auspiciousness flew down from the eaves and took flight.

Chapter 10: Scoundrel

The sound of dense footsteps grew louder as several members of the secret service approached, some scaling the wall and others leaping into the courtyard.

"Reporting to Lord Cangzhu! The man outside has been apprehended!"