Chapter 58: Overlooking the night view of the city

Tonight was safe. There were no incidents of demons attacking.

Rengoku Shinjuro successfully escorted Sakamoto back home, and the two left amidst the merchant's gratitude.

"Could we have been wrong? Maybe it was just an accident?"

On the way back, Li Mo raised this possibility. The information about the demon had been extracted by Rengoku Shinjuro through interrogation, so its credibility was already questionable.

"That possibility might exist. But if there's even the slightest chance this is related to the progenitor demon, we must take it seriously. Junior, I hope you'll pay extra attention to this matter in the future," Rengoku Shinjuro said solemnly.

The progenitor demon, Muzan Kibutsuji, was a mysterious figure. In the current generation of the Demon Slayer Corps, almost no one had seen him. Because of this, it wasn't impossible for him to pass by unnoticed.

—This situation would persist until the future, when Tanjiro joined the Demon Slayer Corps and things began to change.

But Li Mo didn't want that future to come.

"I understand what you mean, Rengoku-san. I'll keep a close eye on this matter from now on," Li Mo said. The leader was deeply concerned about this matter—had he sensed something? Was there really a shadow of Muzan Kibutsuji behind this?

But why?

This question was soon answered by a letter from the leader.

According to the Demon Slayer Corps' records, demons, or rather Muzan Kibutsuji, had a need for money. In this regard, he still followed the rules of human society. At the very least, he would purchase things rather than steal them. There were even records of a highly suspicious individual resembling Muzan Kibutsuji appearing among the courtesans of the red-light district.

—How strange. Muzan Kibutsuji actually behaved like a normal person in this regard?

In Tokyo, Li Mo had his own residence—a small, old house. Given the Demon Slayer Corps' resources, they could have provided him with a better place to live, but he had refused them all. This location was more strategic, covering a wider area.

As for living conditions, Li Mo didn't care much as long as it was clean and tidy. Having seen the skyscrapers of the future, the houses of the Meiji era didn't impress him much.

Oh, wait, it's still the Meiji period.

The next day, Rengoku Shinjuro packed his belongings and prepared to leave. Though he said he had luggage, it was practically nothing. For Demon Slayers, actions were swift and decisive—there was no time for excess baggage.

"Junior, please keep an eye on Sakamoto's situation!" Rengoku Shinjuro was a man of action, efficient and decisive. To him, farewells were just a prelude to the next meeting.

"I'll continue to track this matter. Rengoku-san, please send my regards to Kyojuro, Senjuro, and Ruka-nee."

"Feel free to visit anytime," Rengoku Shinjuro said, clapping Li Mo on the shoulder. "This is a great era! We have two young and powerful 'Pillars' now. The future is bright for many juniors."

"What? Is Rengoku-san starting to feel his age now?"

Rengoku Shinjuro laughed. "Haha, of course not. I'm still young. Enough talk—I'll be on my way now."

"Take care, Rengoku-san."

"Take care."

...

...

At the ramen shop, Li Mo sat eating ramen while casually asking the owner, "Boss, has anything happened to Rengoku-san recently?"

During their farewell, Rengoku Shinjuro's mention of promising juniors had caught his attention. Rengoku wasn't even thirty yet—still in his prime. Why was he suddenly so focused on the younger generation?

The ramen shop owner was an undercover agent for the "Kakushi," part of the support network. But considering the Flame Pillar's influence, many "Kakushi" members interacted openly, so how "undercover" was this agent, really?

Because of this, the owner was well-informed.

"He might have been shaken by something recently. A while ago, he saved a child with a slit mouth on the road. The child's family worshipped a snake-like demon that fed on travelers and stole their money," the owner said.

Li Mo replied, "That's not all, is it?"

Villages acting as bandits weren't uncommon in Japan. For a swordsman accustomed to life and death, this was nothing extraordinary.

"The key point is, that family offered their newborns as sacrifices to the demon. Even the child Rengoku saved was one of the intended sacrifices," the well-informed owner explained. "What's more, the child barely escaped, but the surviving members of the family questioned why he didn't just die obediently. They believed fewer family members would have died if he had."

Li Mo raised an eyebrow. Sometimes, human hearts were more sinister than demons. Moreover, he had a vague idea of who the child Rengoku Shinjuro had saved was.

The future Serpent Pillar, Iguro... Iguro something?

"If it were me, I'd probably have taken that survivor away on the spot."

"You? You're probably just talking."

"Tch." Li Mo flipped the bird, though the owner didn't care.

Having gotten the information he wanted, Li Mo left the ramen shop. It was dusk, almost time to start the night's work.

He could roughly understand Rengoku Shinjuro's thoughts. He hoped the child could grow up peacefully, just as Himejima Gyomei wished for the Kocho sisters to live well. Yet, that child had likely shown remarkable talent and would soon join the Demon Slayer Corps as an official member.

Thinking about it, most Demon Slayers were teenagers. Li Mo, in his early twenties, was actually an exception?

A child labor-exploiting Demon Slayer Corps?

"Caw caw, what are you laughing at?"

After leaving the ramen shop, the Kasugai Crow descended from the sky. Seeing the idiot grinning, the crow thought he looked foolish.

"Nothing! Night's here. Time to get to work."

With the Flame Pillar gone, Tokyo was now Li Mo's domain. A wealth of experience points awaited him.

What player would refuse free experience?

—Of course not.

The dark night always held dangers, some from humans, but that was none of Li Mo's concern. At most, he'd help the victims if he saw them—just a casual act. The other dangers came from demons.

That was the swordsman's job.

The city was brightly lit, with gas lamps, oil lamps, and electric lights casting their glow over the ancient metropolis. People wandered under the lights, while Li Mo moved through the shadows.

He landed softly from the rooftops into a dark alley, drawing his blade mid-air. The Nichirin Blade traced a perfect arc, and in its wake, a head flew into the air. The body turned to ash, and Li Mo didn't bother with the victim. He tapped the ground lightly, using the narrow walls to propel himself away.

In Tokyo, Li Mo liked to run across rooftops, much like a ninja. But he was far more skilled than any ninja. Sometimes, looking down at the city from above, he felt like a bat.

"Idiot, backup, backup."

"Merchant Sakamoto is under attack, under attack!"

The Kasugai Crow arrived, delivering the message.