Who are you calling a stable boy?!

Before Zheng Jing could answer, Shinobu, who was standing to the side, had already stopped smiling and said to Shinazugawa Sanemi with a serious expression, "This is Mr. Zheng Jing, mentioned in the headquarters' orders."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Shinazugawa Sanemi looked directly at Zheng Jing.

"Since you are a guest of our lord, I will let you go."

"You're a tsundere with a fierce face but a kind heart. Although tsundere isn't as dominant in this version, and tsundere men aren't cute either, I'll let you off this time."

Zheng Jing, who spoke without hesitation, released Shinazugawa Sanemi's wrist.

"..."

Shinazugawa Sanemi couldn't understand two-thirds of what Zheng Jing was saying.

But with just the remaining third, he could tell that Zheng Jing was making fun of him.

"You little brat..."

With veins bulging on his forehead, Shinazugawa Sanemi stepped forward, trying to grab Zheng Jing by the collar, but Zheng Jing once again grabbed his wrist.

"Looks like you really want to die, you bastard..."

Staring at Zheng Jing, Shinazugawa Sanemi produced a somewhat jarring slingshot sound.

"Looks like you really want to lie down, handsome."

As he spoke, Zheng Jing, who had stood up again, used one arm to pull Shinazugawa Sanemi off the ground.

"call!"

Almost instantly as he rose into the air, Shinazugawa Sanemi lifted his toes and aimed straight for Zheng Jing's chin!

Chapter Twenty-Three: It's alright, I'm the same way...

"Boom!"

The toes of his foot collided with Zheng Jing's chin, producing a muffled thud.

Staring at Zheng Jing's unmoving head, Shinazugawa Sanemi's eye twitched suddenly.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he might have thought he had kicked a piece of hard steel instead of a human head.

Enduring the faint stinging pain in his toes, Sanemi Shinazugawa immediately lifted his left foot—

Although it was only for a moment, when Zheng Jing lifted him up, Shinazugawa Sanemi realized the difference in strength between the two.

He couldn't break free from Zheng Jing's grasp by brute force alone.

Even if you don't want to admit it, once you're in a fight, that's the reality you have to face.

However, being one of the Nine Pillars means that he is by no means a swordsman who only fights with brute force.

— Straighten his back, kick him with his right foot, then push off Zheng Jing's chest with his left foot, and then use the momentum to flip backward, trying to use his own weight to put pressure on Zheng Jing's wrist and break free from Zheng Jing's grip.

"Crack".

A faint sound suddenly rang out from Shinazugawa Sanemi's right elbow.

His elbow was dislocated.

According to Shinazugawa Sanemi's plan, with the force of his kick, plus his own weight, if Zheng Jing failed to let go in time, the force after the rotation would be much greater than the sum of its parts, and would be applied entirely to Zheng Jing's wrist.

Even within the Demon Slayer Corps, perhaps only Gyomei Himejima, with the strongest arm strength, could possibly withstand this attack using only brute force.

However, Zheng Jing's strength and physical prowess far exceeded Shinazugawa Sanemi's expectations.

That huge hand seemed to be made of steel, and it stubbornly resisted the swirling force without moving an inch.

In this way, the one who would suffer would naturally be Shinazugawa Sanemi's elbow.

At that moment, Zheng Jing, who heard the noise, released his grip.

At that very moment, three figures suddenly landed around Zheng Jing.

He knelt on one knee, pressing the tip of his knife against the Iguro Koba inside Zheng Jing's waist.

Standing in front of Zheng Jing, Rengoku Kyojuro shielded Shinazugawa Sanemi behind him.

And with a speed that belies his size, Beimingyu Xingming arrived behind Zheng Jing.

"You—get out of the way!"

Sanemi Shinazugawa landed steadily, gripping his right elbow and snapping the dislocated joint back into place. His eyes widened as he glared at Zheng Jing, who was surrounded by three pillars.

"We don't need your help!"

"Are you sure you don't need it?"

Surrounded by enemies, Zheng Jing once again revealed his usual carefree and playful demeanor.

"If you can't beat them, just call for backup. There's nothing shameful about it."

"what?!"

"It's getting warm!"

With his finger still pointing at Shinazugawa Sanemi, Zheng Jing grinned broadly.

"Even if I beat you to a pulp, you still have to fawn over your concerned colleagues? Hagiwara, you bastard..."

"...Get the hell out of my way."

With veins bulging on his forehead, Sanemi Shinazugawa's body trembled slightly as he raised his right hand, his knuckles cracking as he formed a claw with his five fingers.

"I'm going to kill him!"

"That's pretty impressive."

Zheng Jingchong gave him a thumbs up.

"So, you're going to kill someone? So even in this era, the Demon Slayer Corps still has this kind of expedient power, able to act on someone they don't like without asking permission first."

"You little brat—"

Pointing at Zheng Jing, Shinazugawa Sanemi roared, "Shut up, you little brat! What's wrong? Now you know how to talk back, are you scared?!"

"afraid?"

Unexpectedly, after hearing what Shinazugawa said, Zheng Jing scratched his cheek and thought about it seriously.

"You know what, it's true."

Looking at Shinazugawa Sanemi, he nodded in deep agreement.

"I'm really afraid that if I use too much force, I'll beat you to death."

"How about this, you draw your sword, and I can give you a real buff. If you're not confident, these three can accompany you."

Zheng Jing rolled his eyes and glanced back and forth at the three pillars surrounding him with a grin.

"It's alright, I'll just attack all four of them the same way..."

"...I'll say it one last time, everyone get out of the way."

Sanemi Shinazugawa's voice turned cold.

It was as if he had suddenly regained his senses and his anger had dissipated.

But anyone who knows him will understand that this attitude means he truly has murderous intent.

"Please stop! Think about where you are. Do you really want to fight here?"

Just then, Ren spoke up.

She first turned to look at Shinazugawa Sanemi.

"Mr. Shinazugawa, Mr. Zheng Jing is our lord's distinguished guest. Should I reiterate this to you?"

"..."

Seeing that Shinazugawa Sanemi remained silent, Shinobu turned to look at Zheng Jing.

“Mr. Zheng Jing, Mr. Shinazugawa does have a bad temper, so could you please stop trying to provoke him? You clearly agreed to come as a guest.”

"Look at what you're saying, Butterfly Sister, it makes it sound like I'm in the wrong."

Zheng Jing raised his hands to either side of his head and pursed his lips.

"If he doesn't have a habit of touching things himself, but is just arrogant, even if I'm playful, I wouldn't take advantage of him."

Upon hearing this, Shinazugawa Sanemi, who was glaring at Zheng Jing, suddenly took a step forward.

Zheng Jing, not to be outdone, grinned at him and stuck out his tongue.

"......well."

He covered his forehead and sighed.

“Gentlemen, please release him. Mr. Zheng Jing is, after all, a distinguished guest appointed by our lord. The Demon Slayer Corps should not treat him like this.”

"The premise is that he really came as a guest."

As she said this, Obanai Iguro tucked the serpentine blade under her wide robe, stood up, and moved away from Zheng Jing.

"Yes! Arguing can also be a way to maintain good relationships! As long as you're careful not to go too far!"

With his arms crossed, Rengoku Kyojuro smiled and nodded.

"Namo San..."

With a soft whisper, Beimingyu Xingming took two steps back.

"Brother, stop chanting. I've already asked Buddha."

Turning around, Zheng Jing looked at Beimingyu Xingming.

"Buddha said that when dealing with arrogance, one should give a sharp rebuke."

Ren didn't know which sect of Buddha Zheng Jing was asking about, but she knew that at least a fight wouldn't break out now.

In the courtyard, the storm seemed to be subsiding.

"Our lord has arrived."

Just then, the two white-haired boys who had been guarding the doorway inside the room spoke up.

Without prior arrangement, the pillars gathered back into a line and knelt on one knee toward the slowly opening door.

"You're all here."

A slender figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

With the boy's help, he walked to the wooden corridor, where the warm sunlight outside illuminated half of his body.

Tanjiro stared wide-eyed at the man's face.

Good morning, everyone. It's a beautiful day today.

With a smile, the person lowered their pale eyes and said softly, "I am truly delighted that we can hold the semi-annual Pillar Meeting without any changes in the membership."

"It would be wonderful if my lord were still in good health. I sincerely wish you even better health."

Completely different from his previous rabid demeanor, Shinazugawa Sanemi, with his head bowed and eyes lowered, offered his sincere blessings in a clear voice.

That's right.

The person before me is none other than the lord of the Demon Slayer Corps, Ubuyashiki Kagaya.

Chapter Twenty-Four: I told you, a man's arrogance isn't cute.

"Thank you, Sanemi."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki followed the sound and looked toward Sanemi Shinazugawa's location.

Raising his head, Shinazugawa Sanemi then spoke respectfully.

"Excuse my boldness, but before this Pillar Meeting begins, I would like to provide more details about the team member named Kamado Tanjiro. What do you think?"

"Yes, I'm sorry to have disturbed you."

Ubuyashiki Kagaya nodded slightly.

"I have acknowledged Tanjiro and Nezuko as members of the Demon Slayer Corps, so from now on, I hope that you will also acknowledge their existence."

Upon hearing this, the courtyard suddenly fell silent.

Tanjiro blinked as Giyu pressed his head down to bow. He really hadn't expected that his lord, whom he was meeting for the first time, would stand on his side right away.