Just as Horitake had told Zenitsu earlier, his time was not exactly abundant; he had to leave Mt. Momoyama immediately after lunch.
Naturally, Shinobu Kocho chose to return with Horitake.
First and most importantly, the box containing Hantengu had to be securely stowed in his backpack. Horitake shouldered the pack, ensuring everything was foolproof.
Horitake looked at Jigoro, Zenitsu, and Yae standing before him and began to say his farewells.
"Old Man, I'm leaving. I'm entrusting Yae to you. She is a seedling with great potential, so you absolutely cannot spoil her the way you spoiled Zenitsu. You must teach and nurture her properly!"
The little old man let out a disgruntled hmph.
"I know, I know. You stinking brat, you really are long-winded."
"Zenitsu, don't forget what I told you. You must work hard."
Although Horitake didn't say it explicitly, Zenitsu understood the hidden meaning behind those words. At that moment, Zenitsu's fighting spirit was soaring.
"Don't worry, Big Brother! I will double my efforts!"
Horitake nodded, then finally looked at Yae.
"Junior Sister, the Old Man and Zenitsu are both good people. You can rest assured living and studying here on Mt. Momoyama. I hope you will study your techniques diligently, strengthen your abilities, and join the Demon Slayer Corps soon."
Yae looked heroic and radiant.
"I will, Senior Brother. Not only will I join the Demon Slayer Corps and kill more evil demons, but I will also become a Hashira of the Corps, just like you and Sister Shinobu!"
"Hahaha... That's the spirit! Junior Sister, you might truly have the aptitude for it."
At this moment, the gentle Shinobu interjected from the side.
"Sister Yae, if you miss me, feel free to write me a letter."
Yae nodded, accepting Shinobu's kindness.
How could Horitake not understand the meaning behind Shinobu's words? She was essentially saying that if Yae was unhappy on Mt. Momoyama, she should write to her, and Shinobu would come to take her away.
Horitake hurriedly grabbed Shinobu's hand, pulling her along as they started walking down the mountain.
"Alright, alright, it's getting late. We need to hit the road.
"Goodbye, everyone! We're heading out!"
And so, dragging Shinobu by the hand, Horitake descended the mountain and left Mt. Momoyama behind.
Jigoro watched the retreating figures of the two, particularly focusing on their joined hands and the fact that Shinobu didn't seem to reject the gesture. The little old man was a bit puzzled, and a bold speculation formed in his mind.
"This... Could it be that this brat Horitake and the Insect Hashira are..."
Yae had actually sensed the relationship between them, but being a sensible girl, she kept silent and didn't say a word.
Zenitsu also knew some of the details, but thinking of his Big Brother's potentially chaotic romantic entanglements, he hesitated for a moment and decided not to voice them either.
Only Jigoro was left there guessing on his own.
Horitake and Shinobu traveled together, moving quickly as they rushed toward the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
Shortly after leaving Mt. Momoyama, Shinobu looked at Horitake's backpack, unable to suppress her curiosity.
"Horitake-san, what is inside that box in your backpack? Is it really Hantengu's main body?"
Horitake nodded as they continued their journey.
"Exactly. Hantengu's main body is known as the 'Cowardice Demon.' It excels at playing the victim and running away. This main body is only the size of a rat, which is why I was able to stuff it into the box."
"Is there no problem? Is it truly safe inside that box? He won't escape, will he?"
"Rest assured, Shinobu-san. Hantengu has been damaged at his very foundation and cannot regenerate or heal. Right now, he's barely hanging onto his last breath—unable to die, yet unable to truly live.
"I have nailed him inside the box with spikes. Even if you beat him to death, he couldn't escape."
Shinobu had already learned about the battle on Mt. Momoyama from Horitake the previous night.
So, regarding the fact that Horitake had managed to capture Upper Rank Four alive, Shinobu was filled with amazement and awe.
"I really didn't expect you to be able to go this far, Horitake-san. A living Upper Rank Four is incredibly valuable to the Demon Slayer Corps. We can extract a great deal of intelligence about Muzan Kibutsuji from him."
"Indeed. We are turning the tables, shifting from passive to active, all thanks to Hantengu!"
The two said no more and continued their journey.
But here arises a question: Would Muzan really let the loss and disappearance of Hantengu go?
Of course, he would not.
No matter how you looked at it, Hantengu was one of Muzan's most loyal subordinates. He was Upper Rank Four; he couldn't just vanish without a clear reason!
Although the curse connection was gone, and although Nakime's Blood Demon Art had failed to locate him, Muzan had other means.
He had so many demons under his command; there were bound to be one or two whose Blood Demon Arts specialized in tracking and searching!
And so, Muzan dispatched two demons skilled in tracking to scour the world for Hantengu.
These two demons, though not ranked among the Twelve Kizuki, possessed unique abilities for hunting and locating targets.
Sometimes, things just happen by coincidence. As the saying goes, without coincidence, there would be no story. How could a novel exist without chance encounters?
On their search path, these two demons just happened to intersect with the route Horitake and Shinobu were taking!
That night, the two demons were searching as usual.
Little did they know, the town they were searching was the very same town where Horitake and Shinobu were staying for the night.
It was an ordinary town, like any other. Once deep night fell, every household locked their doors tightly to rest, and the entire town plunged into silence.
However, within this silence, a large black dog was sniffing from door to door, street by street.
It was truly a massive black dog; merely standing there, it reached nearly half the height of a man.
Moreover, the dog's eyes were ferocious, giving anyone who looked at it the immediate impression of a mad dog that would bite on sight.
Wherever the huge black dog went, the animals fell silent. Whether it was the watchdogs kept by families, cats out catching mice at night, or nocturnal animals like weasels—none dared to make a single sound.
These animals seemed to be completely cowed by the brutal aura radiating from the black dog.
Weasels and other rodents didn't dare poke their heads out.
Stray cats and house cats alike walked far away, terrified to get close.
As for the watchdogs, they were practically scared into incontinence.
That is no exaggeration.
Following a certain scent, the huge black dog sniffed its way to the gate of a house.
In the courtyard behind the gate, there was an Akita dog kept for guarding the property.
However, at this moment, the Akita clearly sensed the savage aura of the black dog. It was so terrified that it hid in its kennel, trembling violently. If it hadn't been chained up, this Akita would have fled long ago.
Even hiding in its kennel, the watchdog was so scared that it lost control of its bladder, a puddle of yellow liquid spreading between its legs.
Fortunately, the large black dog only sniffed at the gate for a moment. After confirming the scent, it realized this was not its target and turned to leave.
It wasn't just the black dog. Hanging from a streetlamp above was a giant bat, nearly half the height of a human.
The giant bat occasionally flapped its wings, silently following the footsteps of the black dog.
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