The morning light in Asakusa brought the smell of smoke and fire, dispersing the exhaustion of Ryosuke's wild run all night.
"Boss, a basket of steamed buns!"
Ryosuke sat down at the stall, still feeling lingering fear.
Who knew the fear of a straight man of steel who had lived in Sichuan in his previous life!
Damn it!
An asshole should just be used properly for shitting, you bastards!
After a simple meal, Ryosuke began to stroll down the street.
It had to be said that compared to those remote towns, Asakusa was indeed much more prosperous.
The roadside vendors lined up side by side, and the sound of hawking and the bells of the rickshaw pullers mixed with the smell of freshly baked rice cakes and fried tempura, completely filling his ears and nose.
Ryosuke asked several pharmacies and clinics in a row, but the responses he got were either blank headshakes or vigilant stares. There was absolutely no news of Tamayo.
"Tch, like looking for a needle in a haystack."
Ryosuke smacked his lips.
For Tamayo to hide under the noses of Muzan and so many demons for hundreds of years, besides relying on Yushiro's Blood Demon Art, it was also because she was extremely good at staying hidden.
Finding her wouldn't be easy.
Ryosuke sighed. Suddenly, a simple and crude idea popped into his head!
Since he couldn't find her, he would let her come looking for him.
Over the next half day, a strange rumor about an illness wafted through several bustling streets and alleys of Asakusa.
It was about a young out-of-towner seeking medical help, sighing to anyone he met, occasionally whispering his grievances to friendly street vendors.
"Alas, my older brother somehow provoked some evil spirit. Whenever he gets injured, the wounds heal automatically. He can also go out and walk around during the day, looking no different from an ordinary person, it's just..."
He hesitated to speak, his face full of pain.
"Just what?"
The young man lowered his voice even more: "It's just that he can't be without human blood! If he doesn't drink it for a few days, he goes mad and suffers terribly."
"I took him to see many famous doctors, but they were all helpless. They only said it was a bizarre soul-separation disease from ancient books... If an expert can cure it, we are willing to give up our entire fortune as a reward!"
This news initially only spread in a small circle, but soon, with the embellishments of busybodies, it spread with a bit of a bizarre twist.
Some sneered at it, dismissing it as nonsense.
Some acted mysterious, saying it was the curse of a blood demon.
Some even secretly directed the out-of-towner to go to a certain remote shrine to try his luck.
Relying on his exquisite acting skills, Ryosuke wandered back and forth across several blocks, scattering the bait evenly enough.
He silently calculated in his heart.
With Tamayo's hatred for Muzan and her obsession as a doctor.
This rumor of a monster that overcame sunlight and only needed to drink blood was enough to make her take the bait!
Sure enough, just one day later.
Towards evening, as dusk gathered.
Ryosuke had just sat down at a noodle stand when a green-haired boy with a stinky face appeared beside the table.
"I heard you're looking for a doctor who can cure a strange disease?" Yushiro's voice was flat, revealing no emotion.
No!
I can't smile yet!
Ryosuke controlled his emotions and spoke with some excitement.
"You have a connection?"
"Follow me."
Yushiro turned and left after saying that.
Ryosuke also stood up and followed behind him.
The two of them wound through the alleys. The surrounding light and scenery underwent subtle distortions.
Obviously, this was the cover created by Yushiro's Blood Demon Art.
The stone wall ahead rippled open like water, cutting off the last trace of the outside world's aura.
Before him was a hidden mansion, surrounded by towering trees that could block out the sunlight even during the day.
At this moment, the door of the house was wide open.
A woman wearing an elegant and simple kimono, her long black hair tied in a bun, had a gentle face and a temperament like ancient jade in a deep pool.
A married woman!
A top-tier married woman!
Before Yushiro could speak, Ryosuke smiled coldly and said.
"Lady Tamayo, I've looked forward to meeting you—"
These words were undoubtedly like dropping a massive boulder into a calm pool of water!
"You?!"
Tamayo's pupils shrank abruptly, and her delicate body instinctively leaned backward.
A Demon Slayer? Or a demon sent by Muzan?!
The one who reacted even more fiercely was Yushiro.
"Bastard!!!"
A roar filled with shock and anger exploded.
Ryosuke didn't waste words. In an instant, he trapped Yushiro's hands, pinned him to the ground, and stomped his right foot down ruthlessly!
Bang!
"Ugh, ah!"
Yushiro groaned in pain, feeling as if his spine was about to be stomped in two!
He instinctively wanted to struggle, but the right foot stepping on his back was as heavy as a mountain. No matter how hard Yushiro tried, he could never break free.
Ryosuke didn't even glance at him; his gaze remained fixed on Tamayo from beginning to end.
The curve at the corners of his mouth deepened slightly.
"Lady Tamayo, I know about your situation, and I suggest you'd better not move."
Ryosuke drew his Nichirin Sword and stabbed it into the ground, the glowing white blade chilling to the bone.
"If you dare to activate your Blood Demon Art, I will slaughter him."
"Stop! Let Yushiro go!"
Tamayo cried out involuntarily.
The hands she had hidden in her sleeves gradually dropped down.
"Don't mind me! Lady Tamayo! Run! Go quickly!!!"
Yushiro's eyes were practically splitting open, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
This bro would rather die himself than let Tamayo suffer the slightest harm.
He was a top-tier simp; even the biggest cucks would have to offer him a cigarette in respect.
Tamayo sighed.
Run? Where could she run to?
For this Demon Slayer to find this place and call out her name, he clearly came prepared.
And his strength was absolutely not something she and Yushiro could contend with.
A few long seconds passed.
Tamayo took a deep breath, as if resigning herself to her fate, and pulled her hands out of her cuffs.
"You win."
Her voice was dry, laced with exhaustion.
Ever since she broke free from Muzan's control, she had been barely surviving in the cracks between humans and demons.
Muzan wanted to kill her, a defector, and the Demon Slayer Corps wanted to kill demons.
She couldn't fit into either side; it was lonely and sorrowful.
"Who are you, sir, and what exactly do you want?"
Looking at Tamayo's forced submission, a strange feeling flashed through Ryosuke's heart.
Yushiro, this incompetent simp...
So this is how it feels to be the NTR 'yellow hair' stealing someone else's girl; it's quite subtle.
Ryosuke raised an eyebrow and smiled, his tone relaxed.
"It's very simple, Lady Tamayo. I didn't come here today to hunt you down."
"..."
Tamayo gave him a suspicious look.
Ryosuke continued: "I want to discuss a partnership with you."
"A partnership?"
Tamayo clearly didn't believe him.
Damn it!
You, a Demon Slayer, come to a demon's hiding place, then draw your Nichirin Sword, step on my companion, and say you want a partnership?
Absurd!
Utterly absurd!
"Yes, a partnership."
Ryosuke nodded, his smile unchanging: "I want to kill Kibutsuji Muzan."
This name was like a forbidden curse, causing the air to instantly freeze.
Tamayo's body stiffened, complex emotions shifting on her face.
Every Demon Slayer wanted to kill Muzan; that was nothing out of the ordinary.
But Tamayo was different. Turned into a demon by Muzan, she had eaten her own husband and children in a state of extreme starvation.
She had survived until now just to send that trash boss Muzan to hell.
But to kill Muzan...
Although this Demon Slayer was not weak, there was still a considerable gap between him and the Upper Rank demons.
Kill Muzan with his strength?
It was a pipe dream.
Ryosuke naturally understood the doubts in her heart and explained.
"If we want to achieve this goal, relying on brute force will probably offer a slim chance."
"I need your expertise. I need you to research and develop a medicine that can turn demons back into humans!"
"This is the true weapon that can sever the root of Muzan's power and deal him a fatal blow!"