8 Chapter 8: When visiting others in the middle of the night, knock on the door politely!

"Dear Water Hashira, Tomioka Giyu."

"Quickly go to the Kamado family at the top of Mount Sagiri, about thirty miles to the west. The exact location will be informed by the crow."

"There are demons lurking."

"Do not underestimate, be careful."

"Hurry, hurry."

"Urokodaki Sakonji."

After quickly writing the letter, Urokodaki Sakonji stuffed the letter paper into the crow's ankle and let it fly.

"Caw! Caw!"

The crow flapped its wings and gradually disappeared into the dark horizon.

Urokodaki Sakonji quietly looked at the direction of the west, silent.

.....I Hope Giyu can arrive in time.

In theory, the one who should be most suitable to support the Kamado family at this moment should be himself.

He is closest to the location mentioned by Kamado Kie.

But .....

Urokodaki Sakonji turned his head back, looked at his own house, the house where he used to live alone, and now it was full of children.

.....It seems that Mr. Kamado hopes that I will temporarily protect his family.

Then, he looked at Kamado Kie, who was standing aside with a worried face. His old and low voice did not reveal any emotional changes:

"I have already notified the swordsman mentioned by your husband, Tomioka Giyu."

"He will go to help your husband, don't worry."

"...Hmm." Kamado Kie nodded, her expression hidden in the shadow, and she didn't say much.

Urokodaki Sakonji looked at Kamado Kie, and his heart was also a bit heavy.

Although he said so, Urokodaki Sakonji himself probably knew in his heart.

By the time Tomioka Giyu arrives, it may be almost dawn.

At that time, I'm afraid it's all over.

Urokodaki Sakonji's eyes were slightly silent.

...

...

On the other side.

Pale light spilled on the snow.

Looking down from the mountainside, there was a deep footprint deeply embedded in the snow.

The owner of the footprint seemed to be rolling and crawling, leaving a hideous pockmark on the smooth snow.

In the mountainside.

Creak...! Creak...!

The sound of stepping on the snow kept coming.

"Ha...ha...!"

Tanjiro was running hard in the snow, his heart was extremely panicked at this moment, and he kept panting heavily.

One tree after another quickly passed by him.

White mist was exhaled from his mouth.

The snow was too deep, every step he took, he needed more strength to pull his leg out of the snow.

His steps gradually became heavy, because of the cold and fatigue, Tanjiro could hardly feel his frozen legs at this moment.

.....The lungs were stung by the cold snow! The throat is so dry!

His eyes were trembling slightly.

His vision is so dark.

..... Everyone, everyone is okay.

..... Not yet, I can smell the smell of blood other than that thing

..... Faster! Faster!

Tanjiro gritted his teeth and ran harder:

"Ah...!!"

...

...

On the mountain.

Moonlight fell from the zenith, gently illuminating the small house on the mountaintop, the snow on the roof glowing with the moonlight.

Beside it, a charcoal kiln that had just been extinguished was emitting the last wisp of black smoke.

The light inside the house was on, casting a warm glow through the frosted glass, dispelling the cold in front of the door.

The dim yellow light and the pale snow outside the door formed a stark contrast.

"I've arrived"

Splat.

"Hmm?"

A figure in a black suit appeared not far from the hut, he stopped in his tracks.

His hair was slightly curled, he reached out to gently brush off the snow on his shoulder, and adjusted his tie in passing.

He looked up at the wooden house not far away.

"What." He seemed a bit dissatisfied, slightly frowning, and clicked his tongue.

"...Only one person?" Muzan stood under a tree, his crimson vertical pupils hidden under the brim of his hat glanced around, feeling a bit bored.

Although the door of the house was tightly closed, the human breath coming from inside the house was indeed only one.

However, what satisfied Muzan was.

He might not be wrong in his guess, people living on the mountain are somewhat different compared to those in the town.

They all feel a bit like the annoying breath swordsmen.

To the point that it gives Muzan a sense of familiarity.

It's worth mentioning that, although Muzan can sense human breath through the powerful perception of demons.

But he can't sense the strength of that person.

Once, during the Warring States period, when Tsugikuni Yoriichi came to Muzan, he only thought that Yoriichi was just an ordinary breath swordsman.

"Hmph." Muzan snorted lightly.

— But, it's interesting.

— After becoming a demon, whether the strength is strong or not, part of the reason depends on the strength of the demon when it was a human.

Muzan had not encountered a few Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen before, most of them were dealt with by the Lower Moons, and had no chance to meet Muzan.

So the opportunity for such human experiments is very few.

"What should I do..." Muzan's hand was slightly on his chin, his fingers lightly tapping on his chin, his vertical pupils scanning around, he was talking to himself:

"If there's only one person... it's a headache..."

"It's a precious experimental material."

Muzan's tone was a bit helpless, but the corners of his mouth slowly rose, his blood-filled pupils reflected the snow on the ground and the house not far in front of him:

"...I have to be careful to experiment."

"If you die with a little force, it's meaningless."

The low voice sounded, with no change in emotion.

His plum-red eyes stared at the wooden house, his hand formed a palm, the white nails slowly turned black, elongated, and became sharp and pointed.

Under the moonlight, they all shimmered with a cold light.

Creak... creak...

Muzan stepped on the snow, but his black leather shoes did not sink at all.

He easily walked to the front of the house in a few steps.

He raised his hand, just about to break the door with a casual hit.

"Oh, right."

As if remembering something, Muzan's black and purple sharp elongated nails slowly retracted.

Muzan stood in front of the door, his pale face illuminated by the yellow light, only a pair of plum-red pupils hidden under the brim of the hat.

He looked at the varnished wooden door in front of him, Muzan's face was expressionless, but the words he said were very playful:

"Before entering someone else's house, you should knock on the door first."

"Don't be rude." Saying that, Muzan's mouth corners slightly raised.

Then, his outstretched hand clenched into a fist, and gently knocked on the wooden door:

"Knock, knock!"

Okay, done knocking.

Muzan slightly lowered his head, reaching out to break open the wooden door.

"Hmm?" At this moment, Muzan suddenly paused.

Because, the wooden door in front of him, one step ahead of him.

Creak—Bang!

The door was forcefully opened by the person inside the house.

A figure stood behind the door, appearing in front of Muzan.

The bright light inside the house passed over the person in front, illuminating Muzan's face.

The figure blocked part of the light, leaving a human-shaped shadow on Muzan's face.

"What..."

As he gradually saw the person in front of him.

The expression on Muzan's face slowly changed from astonishment to horror.

"!!!"