One night passed.
The pleasure district was less lively during the day. /
The girls were resting so that they could better entertain guests when night fell, and the guests, having partied all night, also needed rest.
But it wasn't completely deserted.
Some pastry shops had already opened. Mornings were their busiest time, as guests returning home always needed to fill their stomachs.
Bai Ye bought two skewers of dumplings and sat on a long bench outside a pastry shop.
Soon, Kamado Tanjiro appeared on the street, holding a basket filled with items, likely sent out to run errands.
Bai Ye gestured and handed one of the dumpling skewers to Kamado Tanjiro.
After taking a bite, Kamado Tanjiro sat next to Bai Ye and said, "There's something with Inosuke."
Bai Ye said, "Oh?"
Kamado Tanjiro explained, "He didn't show up last night because he found a suspicious trail and chased after it, but he couldn't catch up in the end."
Bai Ye asked, "Was it a demon?"
Kamado Tanjiro nodded, "Although we didn't face it directly, Inosuke's wild instincts can distinguish demons, just like I can smell them. So, it shouldn't be wrong."
Bai Ye asked, "Which shop did he go to?"
Kamado Tanjiro replied, "Shiranuiya."
Bai Ye said, "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 have to wait until night."
Bai Ye said, "So, you all be careful."
"Okay." Kamado Tanjiro smiled, stood up, and said, "Then I'll be going back now."
Bai Ye bid farewell to Kamado Tanjiro and headed towards Shiranuiya, as Kamado Tanjiro had mentioned.
Naturally, there were no customers in the early morning. It was completely deserted, with only two servants standing at the entrance sweeping the street.
Bai Ye circled to the back of the house, then entered a spiritual state, levitated 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 fair..."
Behind the wall was a living quarter. A woman lay on the floor, almost half-naked, covered only by a blanket, her fair legs exposed to the air.
Bai Ye swallowed and passed through the other side of the room, emerging into the corridor.
Glancing left and right, the rooms on both sides were mostly closed, indicating that people were likely resting.
Therefore, there was no need to search the rooms.
During the day, demons probably wouldn't make a move. The places he needed to search would likely be dark, secluded areas that people rarely visited.
For instance, storage rooms and wine cellars.
As Bai Ye was contemplating this, he suddenly heard voices ahead.
Bai Ye immediately floated up and clung to the ceiling.
"Did you hear? Miss Kosuzu seems to have gone missing."
"I heard that too. They say Miss Kosuzu ran away."
"How could that be? Miss Kosuzu was once a courtesan. Even though she isn't now, I heard she's saved enough money and will be able to leave the pleasure district soon."
"That's right. I also heard that a samurai was very fond of her and promised to take her away."
Two maids walked by, holding 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 people are even spreading rumors that they were eaten by a demon, a demon that likes to eat pretty girls."
"How terrifying."
"Why worry? We're not 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 missing from different shops? That means the demon doesn't necessarily stay in just one place? Hmm, that's not necessarily true. If it's strong enough, it should be able to come and go freely."
Bai Ye tilted his head and noticed a very important piece of information.
"Pretty girls!"
It seemed this demon liked pretty ones. If that was the case, who was the most beautiful in the pleasure district?
Bai Ye thought this was useful information and he could share it with Kamado Tanjiro so they could inquire about who the most beautiful courtesan in the pleasure district was.
Those courtesans would undoubtedly be in great danger, which, conversely...
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 storage room.
The storage room was filled with various kinds of miscellaneous items. Due to neglect, dust had accumulated.
To his disappointment, Bai Ye searched the storage room inside and out but found nothing.
"Where could it be hiding?" Bai Ye murmured, "Indeed, do we have to wait until night?"
As Bai Ye thought this, he passed through the wall and left the house.
But just as Bai Ye was leaving...
In the dark storage room, near the ceiling, a pair of eyes suddenly appeared.
"The Demon Slayers have finally found me? It seems this place is no longer safe. I should quickly notify master to leave!"
The eyes gradually lost their luster, intending to re-enter the darkness.
But at this moment...
A strange cackle suddenly echoed.
The eyes looked back and were instantly startled.
A pair of blood-red eyes and an indescribably large mouth, revealing bone-white teeth.
What kind of demon was this?
At the same time...
"As expected, to find a demon, you still need to rely on a demon!" Bai Ye's voice rang out, "Gengar, Shadow Ball!"
Bai Ye had indeed left the house, but his departure was merely a ruse.
As he left, Bai Ye had secretly dropped his Beast Ball in a corner and released Gengar.
At this moment, Gengar 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 a hole through it.
Bai Ye showed a hint of surprise. It missed at such close range?
This guy's speed is incredible!
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 storage room 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 that they screamed loudly and their legs went weak, causing them to fall to the ground.
The dark figure swiftly passed them and sped out into the corridor.
"Don't run!"
Bai Ye quickly chased out of the storage room but only saw the dark figure turn a corner in the corridor.
...