After successfully befriending Tamayo, Luochuan wasted no time. He asked Tamayo for a syringe, drew a vial of his own blood, and handed it to her.
His ability to use Blood Demon Arts was entirely due to the system's empowerment and had nothing to do with his biological makeup. Therefore, his blood should be no different from that of an ordinary person. Trading a single vial of blood for a proficient-level Blood Demon Art was a bargain no matter how he looked at it.
"Tanjiro, you guys chat about the rest. I'm going to go rest for a bit."
The subsequent conversation was about whether Nezuko should stay or go, which didn't concern Luochuan much. He wanted to find a place to fuse the Blood Demon Arts from Tamayo and Yahaba first.
Tamayo looked dazed as she held the vial of blood. Luochuan's blood... just like that? Was he really... just here to make a friend? Have I been too paranoid all these years? Or have people nowadays simply become more pure-hearted?
Zenitsu was about to follow Luochuan when he noticed the box next to Tanjiro move. His body tensed; he had known since entering the room that there weren't just two demons in the house, but three. The other one was in the box behind Tanjiro.
As Zenitsu hesitated over whether to call out to Luochuan, the box opened. A tiny figure poked a small hand out. Dressed in a pink kimono, Nezuko slowly crawled out. She was still in her shrunken state, and the kimono looked like an adult's clothing draped over a child. With her fair skin, big pink eyes, and a large green bamboo muzzle in her mouth, the sight made Zenitsu's eyes go wide.
This was especially true when he saw Nezuko gradually grow to her full size. Her wavy chestnut hair swayed with her movements, and its soft luster combined with the delicate pink butterfly hairclip was incredibly eye-catching—like a bright petal nestled among spring cherry blossoms. Despite the bamboo covering her mouth, her clear eyes were heart-stirring.
Seeing this, Zenitsu turned back around. Since Luochuan was going to rest, he decided not to disturb him.
Luochuan found an empty room and sat down, looking at the two pending fusions with anticipation.
[Would you like to fuse Blood Demon Art: Koketsu Arrow (Proficient) now?]
"Yes."
The Koketsu Arrow primarily involved using invisible arrow patterns to attack or shift the position of objects. Luochuan valued its invisibility; the impact of such an unpredictable attack on a battle could be immense. Used correctly, it could decide the outcome of a fight.
Information and usage methods for the Koketsu Arrow flooded his mind. Then, a familiar ripple surged through his body, circulating before slowly gathering in his hands. The flow of energy made Luochuan's closed eyes tremble. Wait, am I going to grow eyeballs in the middle of my palms to control this? If that were the case, the appeal of this skill would drop significantly.
Vast energy swirled in Luochuan's right palm before finally settling. No eyes appeared, but his right hand felt significantly more powerful. If he were to draw his sword now, he felt confident even against a demon two ranks higher than himself. Mastering this skill didn't just give him a new ability; it nearly doubled the strength in his right arm.
Dispersing the swirling energy, the blood-red veins on his arm slowly faded.
[Would you like to fuse Blood Demon Art: Visual Dream Fragrance (Proficient) now?]
"Yes."
Fusing Tamayo's Blood Demon Art provided a completely different sensation. This wasn't a physical change or a shift in breathing; it was a psychological alteration. In Luochuan's perception, everything around him fell silent.
In this silent space, the art began to manifest in a non-material form. Unlike the fusion of Sound-Eating, there was no surging energy. This was a merging of spirit and consciousness—a silent mental resonance. Under this resonance, Luochuan could feel his nerves being touched one by one as if by an invisible hand, with faint currents of electricity flowing through them.
Compared to Tamayo's Aroma of White Daylight, the effect of Visual Dream Fragrance was more direct: it caused anyone who smelled the scent to see incredible, hallucinogenic patterns, rendering them unable to move.
As the fusion completed, Luochuan opened his eyes, his cold gaze flickering. Originally, he had planned to prepare more and make more "friends" before dealing with the Lower Moon he would soon encounter. After all, Kyogai (the Drum Demon) was a former Lower Moon and possessed significant strength.
But now, it seemed unnecessary. Tamayo's control combined with the strength boost from Yahaba had vastly increased his power. Dealing with the Drum Demon wouldn't be as grueling now. Kyogai's strength lay in his spatial manipulation of the rooms; with Tamayo's art, as long as Luochuan found an opening to influence Kyogai with hallucinations, he could stop the room-shifting and decapitate him in one strike.
Luochuan pulled up his current attribute panel:
> [Host: Luochuan]
> [Race: Human]
> [Rank: Ko (庚)]
> [Comprehension: High]
> [Aptitude: High]
> [Talent: Resonant Ears, Opening Thread, Concealment]
> [Skills: Bandaging (Proficient), Thunder Breathing 1st Form (Proficient), 2nd Form (Perfect), 3rd Form (Perfect), 4th Form (Mastery), 5th Form (Perfect), 6th Form (Mastery), Blood Demon Art: Sound-Eating (Proficient), Koketsu Arrow (Proficient), Visual Dream Fragrance (Proficient)...]
> [Aura: Presence of the Demon King]
>
His panel was now incomparable to when he first bound the system. In less than a month, he had grown this much thanks to the help of his "friends."
Luochuan stood up and stretched. The sky outside was beginning to brighten; Tamayo and Yushiro had likely already departed. It was time to head to the next stop.