One night passed.
The pleasure district was not as lively during the day.
The girls were resting so that they could better entertain guests when night arrived, and the guests who had been up all night naturally needed rest as well.
But it wasn't completely deserted.
Some snack stalls had opened, and mornings were their busiest time because returning guests always needed to fill their stomachs.
Bai Ye bought two skewers of dumplings and sat on a long bench outside a snack stall.
Soon, Kamado Tanjiro appeared on the street, carrying a basket with some items inside, likely sent out to run errands.
Bai Ye gestured and offered one of the dumpling skewers to Kamado Tanjiro.
After taking a bite of the dumpling, Kamado Tanjiro sat beside Bai Ye and said, "There's something going on with Inosuke."
Bai Ye asked, "Oh?"
Kamado Tanjiro explained, "He didn't show up last night because he found suspicious tracks and chased after them, but he couldn't catch up in the end."
Bai Ye inquired, "Was it a demon?"
Kamado Tanjiro nodded, "Although we didn't face each other directly, Inosuke's wild instincts help him distinguish demons, just like I can smell them. So, it should be correct."
Bai Ye asked, "Which shop did he go to?"
Kamado Tanjiro replied, "Shiren-ya."
Bai Ye stated, "I'll go take a look later, but it might not be easy to find. Demons hide during the day."
Kamado Tanjiro nodded, "We'll still have to wait until night."
Bai Ye cautioned, "So, you all be careful."
"Alright," Kamado Tanjiro said with a smile as he stood up, "Then I'll be heading back."
Bai Ye bid farewell to Kamado Tanjiro and then headed to Shiren-ya, as mentioned by Kamado Tanjiro.
Naturally, there was no business in the early morning, and it was completely deserted. Only two servants stood at the entrance, sweeping the street.
Bai Ye circled to the back of the house, then entered his spiritual form, floated directly into the air, and passed through the wall.
As soon as he entered the room behind the wall, Bai Ye quickly covered his eyes.
"See no evil, see no evil, ah, these thighs are so white..."
Behind the wall was a room where a woman lay on the ground, 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 corridor.
He glanced left and right. The rooms on both sides were almost all closed, likely with people resting inside.
Therefore, there was no need to search the rooms.
During the day, demons wouldn't act, and the places he needed to search should be dark, seldom-visited areas.
For instance, warehouses and wine cellars.
As Bai Ye was thinking, he suddenly heard voices ahead.
Bai Ye quickly floated up and stuck to the ceiling.
"Did you hear? Miss Kosuzu seems to have disappeared."
"I heard too. They say Miss Kosuzu ran away."
"How is that possible? Miss Kosuzu was a courtesan before. Although she isn't now, I heard she saved enough money and would soon be able to leave the pleasure district."
"That's right. I also heard a samurai was very fond of her and promised to take her away."
Two maids walked by, carrying trays, speaking in hushed tones.
Suddenly, one of the maids 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 are even spreading rumors that they were eaten by demons, and that demon likes to eat beautiful girls."
"How terrifying."
"What are you worried about? We aren't pretty, otherwise, we wouldn't be maids."
"You have a point there, but why do I feel so sad?"
...
After the two maids left, Bai Ye floated back to the ground.
"Girls are disappearing from different shops? That means the demon might not be confined to just one establishment? Hmm, not necessarily. If they are strong enough, they 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 seemed this demon liked beautiful ones. If that was the case, who was the most beautiful courtesan in the pleasure district?
Bai Ye thought this was useful information and decided to share it with Kamado Tanjiro, so they could inquire about who the most beautiful courtesan in the pleasure district was right now.
Those courtesans would undoubtedly be very dangerous, which meant...
By targeting those courtesans, they might be able to find 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 various sundries, and due to neglect, a layer of dust had accumulated.
Unfortunately, Bai Ye searched the warehouse inside and out but found nothing.
"Where could it be hiding?" Bai Ye murmured, "Indeed, do I still have to wait until night?"
As Bai Ye thought, he passed through the wall and left the house.
But just as Bai Ye left...
In the dark warehouse, near the ceiling, a pair of eyes appeared.
"Have the Demon Slayers finally found me? It seems I can no longer stay here. I should quickly inform the master to leave!"
The pair of eyes gradually lost their light, intending to re-enter the darkness.
But at this moment...
A strange cackling sound suddenly rang out.
The eyes looked back and were instantly startled.
A pair of blood-red eyes, and a mouth so large it was indescribable, revealing bone-white teeth.
What kind of demon is this?
At the same time...
"As expected, to find a demon, one must rely on a demon!" Bai Ye's voice sounded, "Gengar, Shadow Ball!"
Bai Ye had indeed left the house, but his departure was merely a ruse.
As he left, Bai Ye secretly tossed a Beast Ball into 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, creating a loud explosion and blasting through a section of it.
Bai Ye showed a hint of surprise. It missed 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 of a Japanese-style building was hollow!
As the dust settled, a dark figure suddenly darted towards the warehouse door.
Boom!
The door was instantly smashed to pieces, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Two maids carrying trays happened to be passing by, and they were so startled they screamed loudly and their legs gave way, causing them to fall to the ground.
The dark figure swiftly passed them and sped out along the corridor.
"Don't run!"
Bai Ye quickly chased out of the warehouse, only to see the dark figure turn the corner of the corridor.
...