Reaching out and grasping the hand of the man in front of her, Kocho Kanae slowly stood up. Seeing Kanae stand up, Zhong Chen withdrew his right hand and said, "It seems your body can move now!"
Hearing Zhong Chen's question, Kocho Kanae brushed the dust off her clothes and solemnly bowed to Zhong Chen, thanking him. "Thank you very much for saving me! My name is Kocho Kanae, may I humbly request that you accompany me to my humble abode so I may express my gratitude!"
"Uh! You don't have to call me 'mister'. My name is Zhong Chen, and my close friends call me A-Chen!"
"Then, may I address you as Lord Chen? Is that acceptable?"
"This... fine, whatever you want!"
"Yes, Lord Chen!"
Watching Kocho Kanae, who always spoke with such reverence, Zhong Chen could only reluctantly accept it.
But, he had to admit, having such a beautiful woman respectfully call him 'Lord' felt a little secretly satisfying.
"Sister!!!"
Just as Zhong Chen and Kanae were about to head to the Butterfly Mansion, a young girl came running from a distance.
It wasn't until the girl ran up to Zhong Chen and Kocho Kanae that Zhong Chen got a clear view of her.
The girl was also wearing the black uniform of the Demon Slayer Corps, with a ribbon in her hair tied in the shape of a butterfly. Her delicate face looked very anxious.
"Is this Kocho Shinobu? She really is a miniature Kocho Kanae!"
"It seems that at this time, Kocho Shinobu is still a somewhat rebellious girl, not the Kocho Shinobu from the original story who constantly imitated her sister and exuded gentleness from head to toe!"
"Sister, are you okay?"
Seeing her sister covered in blood, Kocho Shinobu immediately asked with concern, her hands searching Kanae's body.
"It's okay, Shinobu! Sister is fine. By the way, why did you run all the way here?"
"I was worried about you, sister, getting into danger, so I took it upon myself to come."
Looking at Kocho Shinobu, who was bowing her head like a child who had done something wrong, Kanae still couldn't bring herself to scold her.
"Alright, don't let it happen again!"
"Yes! Sister is the best!"
"Ahem!"
Goodness! If I let you two sisters keep talking, it'll be dawn!
Seeing a faint glimmer of light slowly appearing on the distant mountaintop, Zhong Chen, who had been ignored, couldn't help but make a sound to interrupt the sisters.
Hearing the sound, the Kocho sisters couldn't help but look towards Zhong Chen. Kocho Kanae, realizing the situation, quickly introduced him to Kocho Shinobu:
"This is Lord Zhong Chen. He saved me. Lord Chen is also a strong individual; he easily killed an Upper Rank demon!"
"What! Killed an Upper Rank demon!"
Kocho Shinobu looked at Zhong Chen's nonchalant demeanor and couldn't see any trace of a strong person in him. She couldn't help but question, "Can you really kill an Upper Rank demon? Or did my sister cripple the demon, and you just swooped in for the kill?"
Seeing that Kocho Shinobu dared to question Zhong Chen, Kocho Kanae, fearing that Zhong Chen would get angry, quickly interjected, "Shinobu, don't be rude! How can you speak like that? Apologize to Lord Chen at once!"
"Oh, ho, little girl, you've got some nerve, don't you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhong Chen instantly disappeared.
"Lord Chen, please be merciful!" Kocho Kanae said nervously, seeing Zhong Chen disappear.
Zhong Chen suddenly appeared behind Kocho Shinobu and gave her a sharp flick on the head.
"Dong..."
"Ow! (It hurts so much!) ... ヽ(;´Д｀)ﾉ"
Kocho Shinobu felt the pain on her head and couldn't help but squat down, clutching her head.
With that head-clutching, squatting defense, even Remilia would have to call her a pro!
"Hahaha, little girl, do you still dare to question me now?"
Zhong Chen couldn't help but laugh out loud, looking at Kocho Shinobu in her head-clutching, squatting defense.
Seeing Zhong Chen laughing heartily and Kocho Shinobu in her defensive posture, Kanae couldn't help but reveal a gentle smile.
"Lord Chen, really!"
Kocho Shinobu rubbed her little head, her eyes slightly red, and looked up at Zhong Chen's mischievous face, whimpering softly, "I know I was wrong! Wuwuwu..."
"Pfft, hahahahaha!"
"Hehehe!"
Zhong Chen couldn't help but laugh again at this scene, and Kocho Kanae also couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle softly.
"Alright, Lord Chen, Shinobu, let's go!"
"Okay * 2"
Infinity Castle
"How is this possible! Doma was actually killed by someone!"
Muzan Kibutsuji, who had just received the news of Doma's death in his mind, couldn't help but exclaim, reviewing Doma's memories before his death.
"Who is this man? A new Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps? How can he be so strong!"
The more Muzan Kibutsuji watched, the more alarmed he became. He felt that the man in the vision was no weaker than the man who had terrified him for 500 years.
He might even be stronger, especially that one finger move; it was simply something no human could do.
"No, I absolutely cannot be found. Nakime, send a message to all the Twelve Kizuki to return to the Infinity Castle. We will seal the Infinity Castle immediately!"
"Yes, Lord Muzan."
Nakime responded respectfully, holding her biwa.
It's no wonder Muzan Kibutsuji has no ultimate boss dignity; he hides at the slightest hint of danger.
Even Zhong Chen, who wanted to walk the path of 'gou' (hiding), would probably give him a thumbs up. He truly lives up to his name as the 'scum boss.'
"Worst case, I'll wait another five hundred years. I don't believe you can live for five hundred years too!"
Muzan Kibutsuji narrowed his scarlet eyes and whispered, looking at Nakime's retreating figure as she went to deliver the message.
Butterfly Mansion · Morning
"We're back!"
Kocho Shinobu shouted loudly into the Butterfly Mansion as soon as she stepped inside.
"Oh, Kanae-nee, Shinobu-nee, you're back!"
Kanzaki Aoi, who was sweeping the courtyard, responded with surprise, seeing the Kocho sisters walk in through the mansion's entrance.
Meanwhile, Kanao Tsuyuri, who was feeding fish by a small pond nearby, stopped her actions. She didn't make any sound, just watched quietly.
Zhong Chen looked at the vast Butterfly Mansion and the pond in the courtyard, thinking of his small rented room and the goblin village's thatched huts in his previous life, sighing inwardly, "Darn rich people!"
"Um, excuse me, who are you, sir? What brings you to the Butterfly Mansion?"
Kanzaki Aoi asked directly, looking at Zhong Chen, who walked in behind the two sisters. Kanao Tsuyuri also turned her head to look at Zhong Chen.
"Aoi, Kanao, let me introduce you. This is Lord Zhong Chen. When I went out to slay demons this time, I encountered an Upper Rank demon. Fortunately, I met Lord Chen and was able to survive."
"Aoi, quickly go prepare a meal to properly entertain Lord Chen!"
"Huh!!! Kanae-nee, you actually encountered an Upper Rank demon? Are you alright?"
Hearing Kocho Kanae's introduction, Kanzaki Aoi's face turned pale with shock. She often heard Demon Slayer Corps members discussing the terror of the Twelve Kizuki.
Among them, the Upper Rank demons required multiple Hashira-level swordsmen to contend with them. Now, Kanae-nee had actually encountered one, and thankfully nothing had happened.
"Of course I'm fine. Alright, let's talk about any questions inside first. Lord Chen, please come in!"
"Oh, oh, oh, um... Lord Chen, please, come in quickly!"
Hearing Kanae's words, Kanzaki Aoi nervously invited Zhong Chen inside.
Looking at the nervous Kanzaki Aoi and Kanao Tsuyuri standing silently beside her, Zhong Chen smiled and said to Kanzaki Aoi, "Haha, little girl, don't be nervous, I don't eat people. Kanae, your home is really interesting!"
As everyone entered the house, the Kocho sisters went into the inner room to change into clean clothes, while Kanzaki Aoi went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
For a moment, only Zhong Chen and Kanao Tsuyuri were left in the room, staring blankly at each other.
Neither of them spoke. Zhong Chen didn't know what to say, and Kanao was holding a coin, not wanting to speak. The scene became very awkward for a moment.
"Is this what Kanao was like as a child? She's so quiet, but she's really cute!"
"I really want to pinch her little cheeks. Will that get me three years (in jail)? Oh, I forgot I can sign in today. System, sign in!"
"Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining..."