Kawagishi didn’t follow the way he had come; instead, he took a narrow path guided by Black Wolf Fang’s memories. At the end of that path, one could reach Shiqiao Town. After walking briskly for a while, he stopped—he had come upon a house that was at once both familiar and strange. This was Black Wolf Fang’s former home. Even after Black Wolf Fang had become a demon, something in his subconscious had drawn him back here.

  Unfortunately, Black Wolf Fang’s parents were home. When his father—who had been searching for him for days—saw Black Wolf Fang, he immediately slapped him, causing his head to tilt awkwardly. Then his father knelt down and embraced him, choking up as he said, “You little brat, where have you been running off to? Don’t you know how worried we are? You’re never allowed to go up the mountain alone again. If you want to play, I’ll come with you.”

  Resting his head on his father’s shoulder, Black Wolf Fang felt both familiar and safe. Yet what fascinated him even more was the rich, savory scent of his father’s flesh. He opened his mouth, ready to bite—but a vague, inexplicable feeling made him hesitate and struggle. In that moment of indecision, fresh blood suddenly splattered across his face. Black Wolf Fang stiffly turned his head, only to see that his father’s headless body still held him in an embrace.

  Then, Muzan Kibutsuji appeared before him, holding in his hand the severed head of Black Wolf Fang’s parent.

  “Black Wolf Fang, you must be starving after your transformation. Here—this is food prepared just for you. Eat up.”

  Struggle flashed in Black Wolf Fang’s eyes, but after more than twenty seconds, every last trace of humanity vanished. He collapsed onto his father’s corpse and, with his fangs extended, began to tear into it ferociously.

  Muzan Kibutsuji watched with a soft laugh. “Black Wolf Fang, I eagerly anticipate your growth.” Then, he vanished again, waiting for the perfect opportunity to summon Black Wolf Fang to do his bidding.

  ……

  Gazing at the dilapidated, unrecognizable old house, Kawagishi pushed open the rotten wooden door, stirring up a cloud of dust.

  “It seems there’s a sizable cellar beneath Black Wolf Fang’s home,” he mused.

  “This whole property has been abandoned for ages, with no one coming by. If I hide here, Shinobu Kocho probably won’t notice.”

  In truth, under ordinary circumstances, Kawagishi would prefer to remain in the bear cave on Blue Ridge Mountain. But since Shinobu Kocho is off investigating there now, he cannot return. And with dawn nearly upon him, he doesn’t want to be burned by the sun—so he resolves to take refuge in this cellar for now.

  Stepping carefully over scattered, broken tables and chairs, he made his way into the yard. After a while, he found an inconspicuous iron cover by the wall. He gently tugged at it, but it wouldn’t budge. The cover had a keyhole—but after all this time, where would he find the key?

  Taking a deep breath, Kawagishi gripped the edge of the cover with both hands and summoned all his strength.

  “Bang!”

  The old iron cover was pried open forcefully, revealing the steps beneath. He glanced at his hands—now bulging with veins. Without a mirror, he knew his face had become monstrous; he looked every bit the evil demon he feared.

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  “If I use all my strength, I won’t be able to control my body… inevitably, I’ll revert to my demonic form…”

  After a moment of struggle, he managed to restore his appearance to that of a human. Clutching the iron cover in one hand, he stepped into the cellar and pulled it down firmly to reclose the door.

  Outside, Shinobu Kocho moved swiftly among the branches of Blue Ridge Mountain like a graceful purple butterfly dancing in the breeze. Lightly tapping the treetops with her toes so as to set them trembling ever so slightly, she appeared about ten meters away. At that speed, she lowered her gaze, scanning the ground for any suspicious signs.

  Before long, she discovered Black Wolf Fang’s cave. She floated down to the ground, placed her right hand on the sheath of her Nichirin Blade, and slowly walked into the cave. Five minutes later, she emerged.

  “The marks here were made very recently—as if two demons were battling for territory,” she remarked. “Or perhaps new demons have arrived on Blue Ridge Mountain again? The people of Shiqiao Town are plagued by calamity; I must track down and eliminate these two demons.”

  Just as she was about to leave, a small mound of earth caught her eye. Pushing aside the overgrown grass, she found disturbed soil on the ground.

  “What’s this?”

  Inside the cave, she detected an indelible scent of blood. She knew someone had been killed by demons—perhaps even devoured. Yet beside the demon’s lair, there was a new, rudimentary grave.

  Astonished, Shinobu Kocho ventured back into the cave, meticulously examining every mark. After circling the area, she pieced together all the clues and made an astonishing discovery:

  It appeared that a new demon had followed the scent of blood to this place, and then defeated the old evil demon that once ruled Blue Ridge Mountain. But strangely, that newcomer did not devour the remaining human corpses; instead, it even took the effort to bury them.

  What does this mean? Could such a demon truly exist?

  Or perhaps I misjudged—has our Lord sent other Demon Slayer Corps members here?

  But if there is even the slightest chance that a demon might forsake cannibalism and show mercy by burying the dead, then I must find that demon!

  Shinobu Kocho whistled softly and waited silently.

  Before long, she heard the hoarse cawing of a crow.

  “Caw, caw, caw.”

  A messenger crow of the Demon Slayer Corps arrived, alighting on her shoulder and tilting its head as it regarded her.

  At that moment, she took out a slip of paper and wrote:

  “Lord, have you sent any other demon slayers to Blue Ridge Mountain? Or perhaps, has a passing Demon Slayer slain any demons here?”

  She then inserted the note into the small bamboo tube attached to the crow’s leg and released it into the air. “Go, and bring our Lord’s reply to me.”

  This matter might be trivial to other demon slayers, but to Shinobu Kocho it was of paramount importance.

  A gentle smile never left her face—even when alone, she kept smiling—because her late sister had once said she loved nothing more than to see Shinobu’s gentle smile.

  “Sister, maybe your dream will one day come true.”

  Shinobu longed to hear her sister’s reply, but in the dark forest—aside from the sounds of wind, rustling leaves, and the occasional cry of animals—no one answered.

  “If our Lord has sent only me here, with no other Demon Slayer Corps members in the vicinity, then my suspicion is likely correct.”

  “Sister, I will verify everything. If there really is such a demon…”

  “Once it’s confirmed that such a demon has committed no heinous crimes, I will strive to befriend them.”

  “Being able to befriend a demon—to live in peace with one—sister, wouldn’t that make you very happy?”