As everyone knows, bats emit sound waves and rely on the reflection of these waves to judge direction, fly with agility, and hunt.
This Bat Demon's Blood Demon Art was also related to sound.
It could capture all sounds within a vast range, absorbing them into its ears. Then, its brain would classify and distinguish these sounds, thereby extracting highly useful intelligence.
Undoubtedly, this was a Blood Demon Art perfectly suited for searching.
The Black Dog Demon's olfactory Blood Demon Art could be used for tracking, while the Bat Demon's sonic Blood Demon Art could be used for sweeping an area. Together, these two demons were indeed the perfect partners for a search-and-track mission!
It was no wonder Muzan had sent the pair of them to find Hantengu.
Hanging from a tree, the Bat Demon listened carefully to the sounds within the town.
Despite the silence of the night, every tiny noise emitted in the town could not escape its ears; every sound was heard and identified.
Once it finished listening, the large bat used one of its wings to cover its head.
Seeing this gesture, the Black Dog Demon knew the result immediately.
"It seems you found nothing."
The Bat Demon released its wing and nodded helplessly.
"Indeed. The whole town is filled with either the snoring of sleepers or the mundane chatter of those still awake. Not a single valuable piece of intelligence or sound!
"I say, Old Dog, are you sure your nose didn't make a mistake? Are you certain Lord Hantengu's scent is strong in this town?"
Faced with the Bat Demon's repeated questioning, the Black Dog Demon's confidence wavered further.
"I... I am sure I didn't smell it wrong. Lord Hantengu's scent in this town is indeed very strong—at least stronger than anywhere else.
"Perhaps... I mean, perhaps.
"Perhaps Lord Hantengu isn't in the town right now. Maybe he passed through here, stayed for a while, and then left. That could also explain why the scent is so concentrated in this place."
The Bat Demon felt helpless and could only try to persuade the Black Dog Demon again.
"Smell it again. Smell it carefully!
"Even if we can't find Lord Hantengu in this town, we must at least find the specific place where he stayed, right? Otherwise, how are we going to report back?"
The Black Dog Demon looked particularly troubled.
"But it is very tiring.
"There are so many people in this town, and all kinds of scents are mixed together. To isolate Lord Hantengu's scent from such a chaotic mixture is already difficult.
"To specifically track that scent is even harder.
"My energy is running low. My brain can't process that much information anymore."
The Bat Demon couldn't help but curse.
"Get lost!
"I'm not doing much better than you.
"There are so many complex sounds in the entire town. As soon as I activate my Blood Demon Art, these endless noises drill into my brain without ceasing. I also have to carefully distinguish and separate these sounds. do you think I have it easy?!"
After a burst of anger, the Bat Demon tried hard to calm itself down.
"Neither of us has it easy. We are both living the life of servants; let's not criticize each other.
"Others work for money; we work for our lives. If we don't find Lord Hantengu within the allotted time, we're both dead!
"Which is more important: your fatigue or your life? I trust you can make the choice."
Since the Bat Demon put it that way, the Black Dog Demon felt a desolate sense of camaraderie in their shared misery.
Shaking his head, and in order to avoid being killed, the Black Dog Demon had no choice but to resume working, even though his energy was failing and his brain was exhausted.
Amidst writhing flesh, the Black Dog Demon transformed again, shifting from humanoid form back into the large black dog that stood half a man's height.
The black dog pressed its nose close to the ground and began sniffing back and forth, exploring everything in the vicinity.
It wandered through the streets and alleys for a long time, sniffing endlessly. Suddenly, the black dog made a new discovery!
It jerked its head up and spoke to the large bat on the streetlamp nearby.
"Hm?! In this area, Lord Hantengu's scent is considerably strong!
"I am almost certain now!
"With a scent this concentrated, I fear it's not just that Lord Hantengu was here. I suspect Lord Hantengu is here right now! Within this very area!"
"Really?!"
The large bat was delighted. Hanging upside down from the streetlamp, it activated its Blood Demon Art again, listening carefully to the surrounding sounds.
Unfortunately, it still didn't hear anything useful.
The large bat tried to comfort itself.
"No useful sounds... maybe Lord Hantengu is resting?
"Old Dog, if Lord Hantengu isn't making any noise, I can't help. We have to rely on your nose to pinpoint the exact location!"
Seeing hope of completing the mission, the Black Dog Demon got excited. Even though his sense of smell and mental processing were exhausted, he pushed himself to the limit and began to sniff carefully in this specific area.
Since the search area had been narrowed down, determining the precise target was much easier.
Finally, sniffing along the way, the big black dog stopped in front of an inn in the town.
It raised its head, looked at the inn before it, and spoke with agitation.
"This is the place!
"Inside this inn, Lord Hantengu's scent is the strongest!
"I can confirm it now! With a scent this thick, Lord Hantengu's main body must be inside!"
While the Black Dog Demon was excited, the Bat Demon was somewhat puzzled.
It flew over and hung from a tree, looking at the inn with great suspicion.
"Strange... Lord Hantengu is clearly a demon, and a very powerful one at that. Why would he suddenly stay in a human inn? Isn't he afraid of his identity being discovered?
"Or did he choose to dine here tonight and eat the people inside?"
The Black Dog Demon shook his canine head, rejecting the Bat Demon's guess.
"No dining, no eating people. There is not a shred of the scent of human blood in this inn."
"Then that is truly bizarre. Why would Lord Hantengu, perfectly fine as he is, stay in a human inn?"
The Bat Demon thought for a moment, then asked the Black Dog Demon, "Old Dog, did you smell any injuries on Lord Hantengu?"
The Black Dog Demon continued to shake his head.
"I can't smell details that specific. However, I didn't smell any blood—neither human blood nor demon blood.
"So, I can only determine that Lord Hantengu is not bleeding."
The Bat Demon fell into confusion again.
It couldn't help but recall the hint Muzan had given them when he assigned this tracking mission.
At the time, Muzan said that Hantengu was missing; he was either heavily injured, had defected, or there was some other reason.
Recalling Lord Muzan's hint, and combining it with the fact that the Black Dog Demon smelled no blood on Hantengu, the Bat Demon speculated that Lord Hantengu was likely not heavily injured.
The possibility of defection seemed high.
It hesitated. Should they go in and find Lord Hantengu or not?
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[pat*eon*com/DaoistRoeoNQ]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"