Coercion and Inducement

After parting ways with Hongyue and the others, Kurozawa walked the night road alone in silence.

He looked up at the sky.

The crescent moon was dim, its light barely visible. The deep night enveloped the mountains, with only a few strands of starlight scattered down.

"Demon Slayer Corps headquarters." Kurozawa's eyes were dark as he recalled what Kanae had said.

Cultivators were responsible for the actions of their disciples.

If a disciple committed a grave offense against the Demon Slayer Corps, the most common practice for the Cultivator was to commit suicide to atone. However, before that, they might first try to clean house.

Kurozawa knew Sakonji Urokodaki's personality. He seemed stern, but it would likely be difficult for him to draw his sword against Kurozawa. Thus, caught between the Demon Slayer Corps and Kurozawa, Sakonji Urokodaki would likely choose suicide to atone to the Demon Slayer Corps.

Sakonji Urokodaki had fought for so many years that he had long since become indifferent to life and death and did not fear dying.

"The Demon Slayer Corps acts fast; they went ahead of me. How troublesome!"

Kurozawa had originally intended to officially sever ties with Sakonji Urokodaki upon returning to Mount Sagiri this time. That way, whatever he did would be unrelated to him. But unexpectedly, the Demon Slayer Corps had already taken him back to headquarters. As of now, there was still a deep connection between Kurozawa and Sakonji Urokodaki.

"I need to find a way to get master out, but where is the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters?"

Kurozawa scratched his head in frustration.

He didn't know the location of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, or rather, very, very few people knew exactly where it was.

The Demon Slayer Corps headquarters had always been hidden. It was said to relocate approximately every decade, never staying in one place for long. Such cautious practices allowed the Demon Slayer Corps to survive tenaciously during the terrifying era of Demons when it was weak.

Only those who reached the rank of Pillar were officially informed of its location. The only others who knew the location of the headquarters were trusted confidants of the Ubuyashiki family, Swordsmen who had demonstrated loyalty and trustworthiness after various tests.

Evidently, Kurozawa, as well as the other Swordsmen from Mount Sagiri, were not among them.

Since there was no good solution at the moment, Kurozawa didn't dwell on this issue for too long. Instead, he began carefully recalling the location of the Kamado Family.

In the original timeline, after Tanjiro learned of Sakonji Urokodaki's existence on Mount Sagiri through Giyu Tomioka, it didn't take him long to find Mount Sagiri with Nezuko. Furthermore, Tanjiro was still a normal person then, with an average speed. Therefore, Kurozawa speculated that his home was not far from Mount Sagiri, likely no more than twenty kilometers away.

When Kurozawa was fourteen or fifteen, he had curiously gone looking for it.

He spent about a week traveling in various directions from Mount Sagiri, inquiring about charcoal sellers in the surrounding towns.

This was because the Kamado Family made a living by chopping wood, burning charcoal, and then selling it.

Later, Kurozawa did indeed find them.

Kurozawa had an excellent memory. In just a few breaths, he recalled the path he had taken back then.

Stopping in his tracks, Kurozawa directly entered the dense forest beside the mountain path.

Then, he leaped onto tree branches, moving swiftly from tree to tree like a black streak of light, his movements agile.

Some birds and beasts nearby, startled by the commotion, were roused. But when they looked up to investigate, they only found slightly trembling branches and a few swirling green leaves drifting down. Kurozawa's figure had already moved far away.

As time approached midnight, roughly four in the morning.

Kurozawa stopped before a town.

He looked left and right, then stroked his chin, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Hmm, it looks like it's changed quite a bit, but the general layout hasn't changed."

"Then, the Kamado Family is on Mount Kumotori to the right of this town."

Mount Kumotori, the location of the Kamado Family.

Along the way, Kurozawa had traveled at lightning speed, rapidly expending his stamina. But in exchange, he had covered a considerable distance in less than half the night, arriving near the location of the Kamado Family from his memory.

At the same time, Kurozawa felt somewhat hungry.

He hadn't eaten for over a week, and combined with traveling at full speed without reservation tonight, his physical stamina was greatly depleted.

Feeling the faint hunger starting to appear in his abdomen, and the desire gradually emerging from the depths of his brain, Kurozawa furrowed his brow slightly.

"The instincts of this Demon body are starting to awaken."

"Using Potential Points to eliminate hunger isn't a solution either. It's just treating the symptoms, not the root cause, and it's a considerable drain in the long run."

"But there's no way I can eat people..."

Kurozawa had asked Hongyue how she ate humans when she was hungry.

Hongyue had the ability to control the growth of flesh and blood. For ordinary people or Demons, she only needed to extend a hand, and she could activate chains of flesh and blood, absorbing their entire bodies. So, it was more like a form of devouring, without having to eat with her mouth.

Kurozawa couldn't do that. He couldn't absorb in that way. If he wanted to satisfy his appetite, he could only eat the corresponding flesh and blood bite by bite in the most primitive way.

He couldn't do it.

Kurozawa was very resistant to eating people. It wasn't because he thought it violated ethics or customs, but simply because it was disgusting. Anything with the same appearance as himself, no matter what it was, whether raw or cooked, Kurozawa found it hard to swallow.

For example, in his previous life, there were dishes like monkey brains. Some people could eat them with relish, but Kurozawa would only find them disgusting.

And he had a choice. His situation wasn't so bad that he absolutely needed to eat people.

"Eating human food can fill the stomach, but it's ineffective."

"Sigh, I still need to learn Sun Breathing as quickly as possible and see if it can perfect the Demon body."

"Otherwise, I can only find a way to obtain over three thousand Potential Points."

Demons weren't unable to eat ordinary food, but it was useless. Ordinary food couldn't satisfy the needs of the Demon body. Instead, having something in the stomach would make the hunger worse; it was just drinking poison to quench thirst.

Kurozawa looked up at the sky again, his body blurred, and he vanished from the spot, heading towards the location of the Kamado Family he remembered.

More than ten minutes later, on the mountainside, Kurozawa walked onto a winding, rugged mountain path clinging to the cliff face.

He slowed down.

Because following this path, he would be able to see the Kamado Family's house in just a few minutes.

At this moment, Kurozawa was thinking about how he could get his hands on the Dance of the Fire God.

Simply asking wouldn't work; they definitely wouldn't give it to him.

After all, this kind of ancestral ritual dance wouldn't be easily passed on to a stranger, and Tanjuro Kamado surely knew some of the peculiar aspects of his family's sacred dance, making him even less likely to share it lightly.

"Steal it by force?"

"Hmm, Kamado Kawarutoki said that the Kamado family in this world had nothing to do with him."

"Besides, he's not here anymore, so I won't consider his feelings."

Kurozawa pondered as he walked, and soon his eyes settled, confirming his basic approach.

Four simple words.

Threats and inducements.

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