The wine flowed freely.
Jue Ji soon appeared in the living room.
Bai Ye was momentarily stunned; Jue Ji was the courtesan who had paraded through the streets that day.
She exuded a cool demeanor. Upon entering the hall, she spoke little, instead dancing to the accompaniment of instruments and then proceeding to toast the guests at each table.
When it was Bai Ye's turn, he grasped Jue Ji's wrist and asked, "Miss Jue Ji, would you care to have a drink with me alone?"
Jue Ji looked up at Bai Ye, who offered a faint smile.
After a moment's hesitation, Jue Ji smiled and replied, "Jue Ji will await you in her room."
Bai Ye nodded with a smile, thinking that indeed, good looks had their advantages.
After Jue Ji had finished toasting all the guests, a young attendant approached Bai Ye and whispered a few words.
The other guests wore expressions of envy, but what could they do? The courtesan was beautiful, and she favored him.
Meanwhile, Bai Ye followed the attendant out of the hall and into the corridor behind, heading in Jue Ji's direction.
A strange feeling washed over him.
Although lanterns lit the corridor, it was remarkably dim, lending the entire passage a deep, mysterious aura.
And furthermore…
The rooms lining both sides of the corridor were all empty.
The attendant smiled and said, "Miss Jue Ji dislikes crowded places, so she lives here alone."
Bai Ye nodded.
Soon, they reached the room at the end of the corridor.
As Bai Ye pushed the door open, Jue Ji had already prepared the tea set. She gestured for Bai Ye to sit, then took out an instrument Bai Ye did not recognize and began to play.
She played quite well, but Bai Ye didn't understand the music.
After the piece concluded, Jue Ji looked at Bai Ye and smiled, "Guest, what do you think of my playing?"
"It was very good," Bai Ye replied, "but please don't play anymore."
Jue Ji blinked in surprise, then smiled, "Then I shall have a drink with you."
Bai Ye casually grabbed a wine jar and tossed it towards Jue Ji, saying, "You drink it yourself, don't mind me."
Jue Ji caught the wine jar and pouted, "Am I not beautiful enough?"
"No, you're very beautiful," Bai Ye said, looking out the window nonchalantly, "Just assume I don't like women."
Bai Ye felt a growing unease.
Logically, Bai Ye had nothing to worry about. Jue Ji was merely bait to lure out the demon.
So, he should just do what he needed to do. If the demon appeared, he would eliminate it. If it didn't, it would be nice to have such a beautiful woman to share drinks with.
Yet, Bai Ye had a peculiar feeling, as if he had overlooked something.
But what had he overlooked?
Bai Ye couldn't quite pinpoint it.
Just then…
Jue Ji's expression turned stern, and her gaze towards Bai Ye held a strange intensity.
The next instant…
The obi at Jue Ji's waist slowly detached and slithered across the floor, moving like a snake towards Bai Ye's back.
Bai Ye remained engrossed in his thoughts, gazing out the window, completely oblivious to the sudden turn of events. Then…
Suddenly…
The obi that had been slithering on the floor lunged upwards, wrapping around Bai Ye's neck and dragging him backward.
Bai Ye jolted awake, but at that moment…
More obis appeared from all directions, swiftly binding his arms and legs, then stretching him out like a starfish, suspended in mid-air.
Jue Ji stepped towards Bai Ye, a grin spreading across her face, "You may not be interested in women, but you cannot be uninterested in me."
Jue Ji lightly tilted Bai Ye's chin with her finger, "To see someone as beautiful as I am and merely gaze out the window, you are truly impolite."
"If I had known you were a demon, I would have kept my eyes on you from the start," Bai Ye said, looking at Jue Ji, "Upper Rank Six!"
Jue Ji burst into laughter, then stepped back and shed her outer garment.
Black stockings that barely concealed anything, short shorts, and a black and red bustier. The pink obi coiled around her waist was the same one Bai Ye had destroyed earlier.
Slowly, Jue Ji's hair turned silver-white, and characters began to appear in her eyes.
Upper Rank, Six!
Daki!
"You demons of the Demon Slayer Corps are always opposing Master Muzan," Daki declared, extending her hand forward and exclaiming, "Allow me to take your head and present it to Master Muzan!"
The obis behind Daki suddenly stretched out, sweeping towards Bai Ye's throat.
Bai Ye finally understood the reason for his inexplicable anxiety earlier.
He, a demon slayer, had failed to detect the demon right beside him.
It was truly shameful!
However, it was undeniable that Daki, having lived in the Yoshiwara district for so long, was exceptionally skilled at concealing her presence.
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
Lost in thought, Daki's obis pierced Bai Ye's body and slammed into the wall behind him, causing it to collapse.
"Hahahahahahahaha…"
Daki covered her mouth and erupted in laughter.
But at that moment…
"What are you laughing at?"
The sudden voice caused Daki to freeze, as if her throat had been grasped. Her laughter abruptly ceased.
Daki looked up and saw that her obis had indeed penetrated Bai Ye's body.
However, there was no blood!
Instead, faint blue currents of electricity flickered from the wounds.
Soon, the room, which had been dim due to the fallen lanterns, was suddenly illuminated by the electricity.
"I admit I made some mistakes, very basic ones, in failing to realize you were a demon," Bai Ye said. "But making mistakes occasionally makes me seem more human, doesn't it? Most importantly…"
Suddenly, a phoenix flame erupted from Bai Ye, burning through the obis that bound him.
Bai Ye struggled free from the obis' restraint, landed back on the ground, and looked at Daki, saying, "Even with an opportunity to attack, you are useless."
"Shut up!"
Daki roared at Bai Ye in fury, and the obis behind her suddenly split apart and flew towards Bai Ye.
Those obis…
Bai Ye had initially intended to ignore them, as they couldn't hit his element-transformed body anyway. However, Bai Ye suddenly recalled a new move from the Goro Goro no Mi.
"Thunder Shock!"
As Bai Ye extended his hand, a large expanse of electrical currents surged from his fingertips.
The currents spread outwards like a net, accompanied by high-frequency vibrations that produced a piercing sound.
The next instant…
The flying obis, upon striking the electrical net, were repelled in all directions.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The obis struck the roof, the ground, and the walls, emitting deafening roars.
Bai Ye clenched his fist and said, "This move is quite effective."
As he spoke, Bai Ye's movements did not falter. He tapped his toes lightly.
Zzzt!
A current surged, and Bai Ye instantly appeared before Daki.