Who are you calling a stable boy?!

"Ok?"

Zheng Jing looked around.

In the desolate wilderness, under the cover of night, he could not find Tanjiro.

In other words, it must have been the courtyard that determined that Tanjiro was currently in a non-safe area.

Zheng Jing calculated the time; from his last departure to his return this time, at most ten days had passed on Tanjiro's side.

Although Tanjiro's injuries were protected by his Ripple, and he was the one who took down most of the three-headed demons in the previous round, Tanjiro's injuries not only did not worsen, but the healing speed was also accelerated. However, he was already on a new demon-slaying mission in less than ten days. Even Zheng Jing had to sigh that the young man was indeed daring and willing to fight.

Looking around but not finding any decent mountain path, Zheng Jing twitched his ears, concentrated, and relying on his 13-point perception, quickly heard the faint sound of flowing water.

Following the sound, they found a river several meters wide.

Licheng can be described as a mountain city. Zheng Jing had spent a lot of time running and jumping in the mountains since he was a child, so he had some understanding of how to live in the mountains.

Rivers of this size are generally habitable if you go downstream.

However, Zheng Jing is now preparing to go against the tide.

Going against the flow of such a river often leads to higher points on the mountain.

Having a clear view from a high vantage point is always more reliable than wandering aimlessly in the mountains and forests.

Moreover, Zheng Jing estimates that Tanjiro should now have formed a three-person team with Zenitsu and Inosuke. With their fighting power, ordinary demons would probably have their heads blown off in a single encounter.

Only someone with combat power approaching that of the Twelve Demon Moons would have the strength to clash with the three of them.

The blood demon magic that a demon of that level can use is usually quite powerful...

Zheng Jing, who was preparing to go against the current, suddenly sniffed and frowned.

He turned his gaze and looked towards the opposite bank of the river.

The next moment, a young girl quietly emerged from the woods on the opposite bank of the river.

She was a pale-faced girl.

With her white hair, white face, and white clothes, she looked as if the author of this work had forgotten to color her.

Unlike Zheng Jing, she clearly hadn't expected to run into anyone here after leaving the woods. Upon seeing Zheng Jing, her previously grumpy face, which had seemed to be preoccupied with some troublesome matter, twitched, revealing a look of disgust as if she had seen something dirty.

After observing Zheng Jing's physique and clothing, and especially after carefully examining his bare waist, a striking look of confusion appeared on the girl's face.

"What's that little sister doing here?"

Zheng Jing spoke first.

As he said this, he seemed to think about it seriously for a moment, then smiled broadly and pointed at the girl as if he understood perfectly.

"Ugh...you're here to take a dump, aren't you!"

"..."

"No way? That can't be... Oh! I know!"

Seeing the girl's expression suddenly freeze, Zheng Jing clapped his hands.

"Are you here to die?!"

Before he finished speaking, Zheng Jing took a step forward.

fast!

Zheng Jing's speed in his attack far exceeded the girl's expectations.

The river lying between the two sides is more than a meter deep at its deepest point. An ordinary person would be submerged up to their waist if they waded through it. In addition, the river is more than five meters wide, so even a well-trained Demon Slayer Corps swordsman would not have an easy time crossing it.

However, Zheng Jing's move was not only fast, but also fierce!

The rushing water exploded with a roar as he stomped on it, instantly exposing the mud, sand, and pebbles in the riverbed to the moonlight.

In an instant, Zheng Jing actually plowed out a channel across the river with his own two feet!

Facing the splashing water droplets, the girl wanted to back away.

However, Zheng Jing would not give her a chance to dodge.

Stepping onto the other side, Zheng Jing swung his arm with all his might, his right palm wrapped in golden lightning, slamming solidly into the girl's chest amidst howling wind and thunder.

Her petite body, so much smaller than Zheng Jing's, was sent flying backward, shattering trees and rocks, before crashing into the forest with a muffled thud.

Standing with his palm outstretched, Zheng Jing gazed into the depths of the devastation.

His opponent was more resilient than he had imagined.

With his current strength, using about 16 points of power, plus his yang internal energy, he struck the opponent with one palm, and instead of exploding on the spot, the opponent was sent flying.

"Almost there..."

Zheng Jing muttered something.

At that very moment, a tall figure suddenly leaped out from the forest, throwing a punch at Zheng Jingtian's head from above!

"Oh!"

With a loud bang, the riverbank beneath Zheng Jing's feet suddenly collapsed and sank. Amidst the flying sand and stones, the tall figure that had attacked Zheng Jing was revealed by the moonlight.

Standing over two meters tall, his bluish-white muscles resembled stacked blue stones; his physique alone was enough to make one hold their breath.

What's even more terrifying is that this massive body actually has a spider's head on it!

"No—"

With its eight crimson eyes shining in the moonlight, the strange creature with a spider's head and a human body spread its pincers and blocked its right fist. Zheng Jing roared, "Don't you dare approach my family!!"

Then, it twisted its body, as if to retaliate against Zheng Jing for the blow he had struck its "family," and threw its left fist at Zheng Jing's chest.

"when!!"

The clash of flesh and blood produced a sound like metal clashing.

"Gah-"

Despite being the one initiating the attack, the strange creature with a spider's head and a human body began to wail.

It took a step back, trying to pull its arms back.

"I remember now."

Zheng Jing grabbed one of the strange creature's wrists with each hand and looked up.

In terms of height alone, Zheng Jing, who is now 1.8 meters tall, should not be as tall as this strange thing, but at this moment, when they are facing each other, it is clear that Zheng Jing is on the higher ground.

"Your birthplace, right? I remember now, a bunch of ghosts playing house here."

As he spoke, Zheng Jing swayed his shoulders and back, exerting force upwards, and immediately shook the Spider-Headed Demon as if it were a bed sheet, pulling and swaying it until it was embedded in the ground with a thud.

Taking another step forward, Zheng Jing stepped on the hideous spider head, holding his hands firmly, and looked down at the howling and struggling of the evil spirit.

This guy is pretty strong, stronger than the fat guy we met last time. I'd guess he's around 15, very close to 16.

It also has thick, tough skin; its bluish-white flesh is indeed as tough as iron and stone.

Unless they can make significant progress during their ten days of recuperation, Zheng Jing believes that with Tanjiro and the others' swordsmanship and physical abilities, it will be a tough fight to cut off this guy's head.

Of course, it's just a thought.

This guy didn't get a chance to make Tanjiro and the others fight a tough battle.

"I know you're in a hurry, but please don't."

Zheng Jing's leg muscles, which resembled blocks of granite, bulged as he exerted force, making his dark trousers bulge out.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely send your whole family down to find you later, okay?"

A crisp sound.

The horrifying spider head, like a ripe watermelon, burst open with a loud thud.

Chapter 18: I'll restore you right away!

With a light touch of his toes, Ren leaned down slightly and looked at the young team member lying in front of him.

Based on her experience, one glance was enough to determine that the reason this soldier was so weak was not due to injuries to his hands or feet.

It's poison.

Just as he was about to speak to check if the young soldier was conscious, Shinobu suddenly paused and glanced sideways at the woods beside him.

"Eh? Shan-zai?"

As Zheng Jing walked into the moonlight, he paid no attention to the stunningly beautiful 18-year-old girl who was watching him.

He was more concerned about Zenitsu lying there than Shinobu Kocho.

The young man looked half-dead; it seemed like he could be sent straight to the crematorium if he wasn't rescued in time.

With a leap, Zheng Jing jumped directly onto the roof where Shan Yi was lying.

"Squeak..."

Unlike Ren's silent landing, Zheng Jing's landing caused the wooden house, suspended in mid-air by spider silk, to emit a faint sound as if it were about to collapse under the weight.

Fortunately, the few thin spider silk threads that were faintly visible in the moonlight were extremely resilient, and the wooden house only swayed slightly and did not fall down.

Seemingly reacting to the familiar voice, Zenitsu, who had been panting with vacant eyes, trembled slightly and turned his eyes toward Jung Kyung.

"Shanzai, don't be afraid, Old Zheng will use his Ripple Technique to help you recover."

As he spoke, Zheng Jing put two fingers together, the tips of which crackled with golden lightning, and stabbed Zenitsu in the chest.

A golden ripple of light spread from Zheng Jing's fingertips toward Zenitsu's body, and in just a few seconds, Zenitsu's breathing calmed down.

When Zheng Jing withdrew his hand, Shan Yi had already closed his eyes and fallen peacefully asleep.

"Whoosh, that's about right."

Zheng Jing wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead and turned to jump back to the ground.

"Please wait a moment."

Just then, Shinobu, who had been silently watching his actions, suddenly spoke up.

"You do not appear to be a member of the Demon Slayer Corps."

"I am not."

Zheng Jing, who was squatting, turned half of his face and met Ren's gaze.

“Speak your mind. I’m not a nobody. I need to kill ghosts, sister.”

This is the truth.

Zheng Jing, who had just used up all his experience points at home, woke up and rushed over here as soon as he checked the changes on the panel.

If he doesn't find a wicked and unlucky guy to attack from both sides, how will he know he has invincible power?

It's like playing a Desert Buddha and stacking 500 Qs in 20 minutes. If you don't quickly deliver a blow to the enemy top laner's forehead, how can you feel that you've mastered the ultimate skill?

Looking at a team's strength on paper ten times is not as effective as actually playing it once.

The good news is that as soon as he arrived, he realized that he had indeed become stronger.

The bad news is that his first strike was too weak, allowing the female ghost to escape while he was killing her father.

This won't do.

My mother always says, "When you're out in the world, you have to keep your word."

If you tell that spider that you want to kill its whole family, then you have to kill its whole family.

Not a single one can be left behind!

Following the trail left by the fleeing female ghost, he chased her all the way here and encountered Zenitsu, who had just killed a demon.

Now that Zenitsu's spider venom has been cleared from his body, and with Shinobu Kocho, the Demon Slayer Corps' only designated healer, there's nothing for Zheng Jing to worry about. He can simply leave Zenitsu in Shinobu's care.

He is currently facing a tight schedule and heavy workload.

"...May I ask your name?"

“Zheng Jing, if you’re willing, you can call me Lao Zheng like Tan Zai and the others.”

"Zheng Jing...you are not a local, are you?"

"Hey, hey, stop it, you don't need to be so formal."