103: Heading to Yoshiwara

"Are you okay?"

Lin Luo landed gracefully, the lightning aura lingering between his sleeves not yet dissipated. He walked quickly to the Butterfly Sisters, his voice steady yet carrying a hint of depth.

The two sisters stood in the center of the messy battlefield, their faces as pale as paper. Shinobu bit her lower lip, her hands trembling slightly from overexertion; although the poison wound on Kanae's arm had been treated urgently by her sister, the lingering blue-black hue and the pain in her brow silently spoke of the danger they had just faced.

The air was filled with the scorched scent left after the lightning strike, mixed with a faint smell of blood. The surviving team members walked over supporting each other, everyone injured, their eyes reflecting a mix of relief from survival and deep sorrow.

The price of this battle was too heavy. Half of the companions who had set out together were now left here forever. Low moans and suppressed sobs were exceptionally clear in the deathly silent village.

Lin Luo's gaze swept across everyone, finally landing on the scorched earth left behind after Gyokko's annihilation, his expression complex. Though an Upper Rank Demon had been slain, the taste of victory was heavy beyond description.

Just then, a faint rustling sound came from deep within the village.

The village, which had been silent due to the fierce battle, finally had the sound of people. Villagers emerged one after another from their hiding places in houses and cellars, their faces full of lingering fear. The scene before them horrified them—the village looked as if it had suffered a natural disaster, with the ground scorched and pitted, houses damaged, and a pungent, strange smell mixed with a faint scent of electrical burning lingering in the air.

When they saw the blood-stained Demon Slayer Corps members supporting each other in the open space, and the giant scorched pit blasted out by terrifying power in the center, fear spread like ice water.

Someone covered their mouth to suppress a gasp, children were shielded tightly behind adults, and several bold men gripped their farming tools, their faces pale as they huddled together, neither daring to step forward nor willing to retreat.

An old man, seemingly a Village Elder, stepped forward a few trembling paces, his gaze sweeping over Lin Luo and the others' unusual attire and weapons, his voice shaking uncontrollably:

"You, you all... exactly... what happened... to that, that monster?"

The setting sun dyed the scorched earth a dark gold. Kochou Kanae endured the stinging pain in her arm and took a step forward.

She bowed slightly, a gentle smile forced onto her pale face: "Fellow villagers, the monster that plagued the village has been eliminated; the crisis is over."

Suppressed exclamations and whispers rose from the crowd. Kanae's gaze swept over the fear-stricken faces, her voice soft yet firm: "Please rest assured, specialists will come to handle the scene and assist in rebuilding the damaged houses."

Several villagers exchanged skeptical looks. The old man pointed tremblingly at the still-smoking scorched pit: "That, that monster, what was it exactly, has it really..."

"It has been completely annihilated," Kanae nodded with certainty, "not a single trace remains."

Lin Luo stood quietly to the side, keenly perceiving the lingering fear in the villagers' eyes. These ordinary people were both grateful to them for getting rid of the monster and fearful of the inhuman power they displayed. He whispered to the Butterfly Sisters, "Let's go, leave here first and wait for the Special Affairs Department's people to arrive."

His voice was very soft, but it carried an unquestionable decisiveness. Shinobu immediately understood and carefully supported her sister. Although Kanae wanted to offer more comfort, the sharp pain from her arm made her realize she indeed needed to treat her injuries first.

As the group turned to leave, the villagers spontaneously made way. Those gazes were complex and hard to discern—gratitude, awe, but mostly relief. It wasn't until their figures disappeared at the village entrance that the gathered crowd truly breathed a sigh of relief and began to talk all at once.

As dusk deepened, Lin Luo found a secluded cave on the mountainside for a temporary rest. After taking out an emergency medical kit from his storage pendant and distributing it to the injured members, he came to Kanae, who was leaning against the rock wall.

"The Special Affairs Department's people will arrive tomorrow at the earliest; we'll rest here tonight."

Saying this, he leaned down to carefully examine her wound, cautiously lifting her corroded sleeve. The originally fair arm was covered in hideous blue-black marks, the skin looking as if it had been burned by strong acid and slightly ulcerated. Lin Luo's gaze focused, and he raised his hand to condense a sphere of clear water from the air, then took out a jade bottle from his pendant, dripping a green medicinal liquid into the water.

"It will hurt a bit, bear with it."

The medicinal liquid dispersed into a pale green in the water sphere. With a gentle lead from his fingertips, the water flow wrapped around the wound as if it had a life of its own. Kanae bit her lower lip, feeling a series of stinging pains mixed with the cool sensation, like countless fine needles picking out the necrotic flesh.

"It looks very ugly like this, doesn't it..." She turned her face away, her voice carrying a rare vulnerability.

Lin Luo focused on controlling the water flow, his tone gentle and firm: "Don't worry, it can be restored." A faint white glow emanated from his fingertips, merging into the healing water flow, "I'm here."

Outside the cave, the moon was rising, casting a silver edge on his profile. Shinobu stood guard at the cave entrance, watching the toxins on her sister's arm gradually fade, and she quietly breathed a sigh of relief. The color of the medicinal liquid in the water sphere kept changing, from turbid back to clear, and the furrow in Kanae's brow gradually smoothed out.

After applying a special medicinal patch, the cool medicinal power gradually permeated, relieving the burning pain. Kanae had just breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Lin Luo's hand had not been withdrawn; instead, it reached toward the ties of her bodice.

She was slightly startled and raised her hand to gently press down on his wrist, an imperceptible blush rising on her pale face. "I... I'm not injured anywhere else." Her voice was soft but carried a clear refusal.

Lin Luo didn't force the action, but his gaze remained steadily focused on her. He shook his head, his tone gentle yet unquestionable: "The toxins might travel with the blood; I can only be at ease after checking."

"They..." Kanae's eyelashes lowered, her gaze quickly sweeping over the other team members in the cave who were treating their injuries, her voice even lower, carrying embarrassment, "They are all watching."

She tightened her grip on Lin Luo's wrist slightly, stopping his further movements. That look in her eyes carried a plea, asking him not to get handsy anymore.

Lin Luo paused, following her gaze to glance inside the cave. Indeed, several members, while treating their own wounds, had their gazes drift over with concern from time to time, and Shinobu's gaze had never left them.

"Alright," he compromised, his voice deep, "but if you feel uncomfortable, tell me immediately." He then naturally took off his outer coat and gently draped it over Kanae's shoulders, tossing her blood-stained clothing aside.

Night flowed slowly through the cave, accompanied by the suppressed moans of the injured and the wailing wind outside. Lin Luo sat at the cave entrance meditating to adjust his breathing, his Divine Sense always enveloping the area to prevent any accidents. Shinobu looked after her sister and checked on the other members from time to time; it wasn't until the latter half of the night that everyone gradually fell asleep amidst fatigue and pain.

Dawn finally arrived, and the sky broke with light.

When the first ray of sunlight shone into the cave entrance, urgent and orderly footsteps came from the distance. The personnel from the Special Affairs Department arrived quickly after receiving Lin Luo's message. They wore uniform attire and acted swiftly and orderly, silently beginning to handle the post-war affairs—collecting the bodies of the fallen members, assessing the village's losses, and comforting the frightened villagers.

However, unlike the usual practice after handling "abnormal incidents," this time the person in charge respectfully consulted Lin Luo and did not initiate any memory erasure or modification procedures. The villagers' memories of yesterday's earth-shattering battle, the evil demon, and the figure summoning thunder were kept intact. This perhaps heralded that some rules were quietly changing.

The collection work was solemn and swift. Bodies covered in white cloth were carefully carried out, the atmosphere so heavy it was suffocating. The surviving members, with red-rimmed eyes, silently gave their final respects.

Lin Luo watched all this quietly, with the Butterfly Sisters standing by his side. Kanae's injury had stabilized much more after further treatment by the Special Affairs Department's accompanying physician, but her face was still pale, and she looked at her departed companions with sorrowful eyes.

When the last body was escorted away, the Special Affairs Department personnel also began to withdraw in an orderly fashion, returning this land, which bore too much sorrow and traces of battle, to the dawn and silence.

"Let's go too," Lin Luo said softly, his gaze sweeping over the village in the distance that was gradually returning to life, turning to take the lead.

When Lin Luo and his group returned to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters with fatigue and sorrow, they sensed the atmosphere was different from usual even before stepping into the courtyard.

Ubuyashiki Kagaya was already waiting in the Japanese-style room. This Master, who was always composed, had a deep, inseparable heaviness on his brow today, his pale face appearing even weaker in the morning light.

"The situation is more serious than imagined," he said straightforwardly. "At the same time you encountered Gyokko, urgent news came from several other areas."

"Himejima and Rengoku confirmed an encounter with Upper Rank Four in the southern mining area; Hantengu's Clones were blending in with the miners to cause accidents. Uzui has located the demon's hiding place in the Yoshiwara Entertainment District, but the environment there is complex and requires support."

He looked at Lin Luo: "Other areas can still be maintained for now, but the situation in Yoshiwara is the most troublesome. Uzui is infiltrating that place alone and could be exposed at any time."

Lin Luo immediately stood up: "I'll go to Yoshiwara now. Uzui needs someone to support him in the open."

Ubuyashiki Kagaya showed an apologetic expression: "Sorry, there's no time for you to pack and rest."

Lin Luo shook his head and went to the Butterfly Mansion.

Upon learning that Lin Luo had just returned and was going to assist Uzui Tengen again, Shinobu looked up, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force: "You just went through a fierce battle, take a rest..."

Lin Luo reached out and rubbed the girl's soft hair, his gaze passing over the sleeping Kanae on the tatami, a warm curve rising at the corners of his lips, his voice extremely soft, "It's okay, trust me. Take good care of Kanae."

Shinobu stood in place, watching Lin Luo's figure disappear from sight. She looked down at her slightly white fingertips, clenched them into a fist, but a gentle and firm smile, no different from usual, appeared on her face.

She turned to the ward; her sister Kanae was still sleeping, her pale face carrying a trace of tranquility. Shinobu tucked in the corner of the quilt for her and whispered to herself, as if trying to convince herself: "Sister, he'll be fine, right? He's so strong... we also have to do what we need to do."

Meanwhile, Yoshiwara—this land of eternal night—was devouring everything with its false prosperity.

The sweet scent of powder and the greasy smell of food and wine mixed in the air, almost masking that faint, cold, and foul stench belonging to an evil demon.