One night passed.
The pleasure quarters were not as lively during the day. /
The girls were resting so that they could better entertain guests when night fell, and the guests who had been up all night naturally needed rest as well.
But it wasn't completely deserted.
Some pastry shops had already opened, and mornings were their busiest time, as guests returning home always needed to fill their stomachs.
Bai Ye bought two skewers of dango and sat on the long bench outside the pastry shop.
Soon, Kamado Tanjiro appeared on the street, carrying a basket with some items inside, likely sent out on an errand to buy things.
Bai Ye gestured and handed one of the dango skewers to Kamado Tanjiro.
After taking a bite of the dango, Kamado Tanjiro sat beside Bai Ye and said, "There's a situation with Inosuke."
Bai Ye asked, "Oh?"
Kamado Tanjiro explained, "He didn't show up last night because he spotted suspicious traces and went to chase them, but ultimately couldn't catch up."
Bai Ye inquired, "Was it a demon?"
Kamado Tanjiro nodded, "Although we didn't face each other directly, Inosuke's wild instincts can help him distinguish demons, just like I can smell them, so it's probably not wrong."
Bai Ye asked, "Which shop did he go to?"
Kamado Tanjiro replied, "Tokitouya."
Bai Ye said, "I'll go take a look in a bit, but there's no guarantee I'll find anything. Demons hide during the day."
Kamado Tanjiro nodded, "We'll have to wait until night."
Bai Ye cautioned, "So, you all be careful."
"Alright," Kamado Tanjiro said with a smile, then got up. "Then I'll head back first."
Bai Ye bid farewell to Kamado Tanjiro and then proceeded to Tokitouya, the shop Kamado Tanjiro had mentioned.
It was early in the morning, so naturally, there was no business, and it was completely deserted. Only two servants stood by the entrance, sweeping the street.
Bai Ye went around to the back of the house and then entered a spiritual state, floating directly into the air before passing through the wall.
As soon as he entered the room behind the wall, Bai Ye quickly covered his eyes.
"See no evil, hear no evil, ah, these thighs are so white..."
Behind the wall was a chamber. A woman was lying on the floor, almost half-naked, covered only by a blanket. Her two fair legs were exposed to the air.
Bai Ye swallowed and then passed through the other side of the room, arriving in the hallway.
He glanced left and right. Most of the rooms on both sides were closed, presumably with people resting inside.
Therefore, there was no need to search the rooms.
During the day, demons wouldn't attack, so the places he needed to search were likely dark and rarely visited areas.
For example, warehouses and cellars.
As Bai Ye was thinking, he suddenly heard voices ahead.
Bai Ye immediately floated up and pressed himself against the ceiling.
"Did you hear? Miss Kosuzu seems to be missing."
"I heard too. They say Miss Kosuzu ran away."
"How could that be? Miss Kosuzu used to be a courtesan. Even though she isn't anymore, I heard she's saved enough money and will be leaving the pleasure quarters soon."
"That's right. I also heard a samurai liked her a lot and promised to take her away."
Two maids walked by, carrying trays and speaking in hushed tones.
Suddenly, one maid mysteriously lowered her voice and said, "I heard that girls from many shops have gone missing, and they were all beautiful girls."
"Ah? Me too!"
"Some people are even spreading rumors that they were eaten by a demon, a demon that likes to eat beautiful girls."
"How terrifying."
"What are you worried about? We aren't pretty, otherwise, we wouldn't be maids."
"You've got a point, but why do I feel so sad?"
...
After the two maids left, Bai Ye floated back to the ground.
"Girls are missing from different shops? That means the demon isn't necessarily confined to one establishment? Hmm, that's not necessarily true. If it's strong enough, it should be able to come and go freely."
Bai Ye tilted his head and then noticed a very important piece of information.
"Beautiful girls!"
It seems this demon likes beautiful ones. If that's the case, who is the most beautiful in the pleasure quarters?
Bai Ye thought this was useful information and could be shared with Kamado Tanjiro, so they could inquire about who the most beautiful courtesan in the pleasure quarters was currently.
Those courtesans would undoubtedly be in great danger. Therefore, by extension...
Targeting those courtesans might lead to finding the demon.
Bai Ye continued to float forward as he pondered.
Soon, Bai Ye found the location of the warehouse.
The warehouse was piled with all sorts of miscellaneous items. Due to lack of cleaning, some dust had accumulated.
Unfortunately, Bai Ye searched the warehouse inside and out but found nothing.
"Where could it be hiding?" Bai Ye muttered. "Indeed, do we have to wait until night?"
As Bai Ye was thinking, he passed through the wall and left the house.
But just as Bai Ye left...
Inside the dark warehouse, near the ceiling, a pair of eyes suddenly appeared.
"Have the Demon Slayers finally arrived? It seems this place is no longer safe. I must inform the master to leave immediately!"
Those eyes gradually lost their light, intending to re-enter the darkness.
But at this moment...
A strange cackling sound suddenly rang out.
Those eyes turned back and were instantly startled.
A pair of blood-red eyes and a mouth of indescribable size, revealing bone-white teeth.
What kind of monster is this?
At the same time...
"As expected, to find a demon, you still have to rely on a demon!" Bai Ye's voice rang out. "Gengar, Shadow Ball!"
Bai Ye had indeed left the house, but his departure was merely a pretense.
As he was leaving, Bai Ye secretly dropped a Beast Ball in a corner and released Gengar.
At this moment, Gengar had already raised its short arms, condensed a Shadow Ball, and hurled it forward.
BOOM!
The Shadow Ball hit the ceiling, causing a loud explosion and blasting a hole through it.
Bai Ye showed a hint of surprise. It missed even at such close range?
This guy is so fast!
At the same time, Bai Ye also knew where this guy was hiding.
The space behind the ceiling in a Japanese-style building was hollow!
As the dust settled, a dark figure suddenly dashed towards the warehouse door.
BOOM!
The door was instantly pulverized, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Two maids carrying trays happened to be passing by. They were instantly terrified and screamed loudly, their legs giving out, causing them to fall to the ground.
The dark figure swiftly passed by the two women and darted rapidly down the hallway.
"Don't run!"
Bai Ye quickly chased out of the warehouse, only to see the dark figure turn the corner of the hallway.
...