Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 104 Bygone Days
Yu Jian is eating something, something good, though not exactly the best.

He originally had no money, but others had money, so he also became rich.

Don't get me wrong, as a good young man of the new era with normal values, Yu Jian would never do something as despicable as highway robbery.

Unfortunately, someone else got to him first.

They even tried to rape her! What kind of nonsense is this?

A row of Yakuza kneeling facing the wall were drenched in sweat. On average, each of them had lost two and a half arms. The part after the decimal point was provided by the brother who had lost an extra leg, the one in the middle.

Yes, Yakuza already existed in this era; dynamic social groups are a very ancient form of violence. The word 'Yakuza' was already used to refer to these 'useless people' as early as the late Edo period.

At this moment, despite the pain from their wounds making them want to faint on the spot, they remained completely obedient.

They behaved exceptionally well after seeing the brick wall being split open like a wooden door.

Not long ago, the underlings who went out to "find" money as usual were suddenly scattered by someone. Even after hiding in the yard and locking the door, they could only watch in despair as a sword slashed through the wall.

When the young swordsman walked in, everyone screamed, and at the same time, everyone clearly realized the difference in strength between the two sides, a terrifying difference like that between a teddy bear and a lion or tiger.

Teddy might bravely attempt a straddle thrust, but a lion or tiger could easily crush it.

“Um…” one of the bolder Yakuza hesitated before speaking.

"Is there anything else you need us to do, sir?"

Yujian didn't answer immediately, but instead ate the last dumpling.

Their exceptionally straight teeth, a rare sight in this era, allowed them to easily bite, chew, and swallow glutinous rice products, just as they were about to do.

Although it's just glutinous rice balls brushed with sauce and baked, the taste is surprisingly good. It's quite enjoyable to eat it occasionally, as long as it's not like that village hunter who eats it every day, every meal, every single day.

Thinking this, Yu Jian raised the bamboo stick and pointed it at that bastard with the broken leg.

"Supervise him," the young swordsman coldly commanded.

"N-Nani?"

Ignoring whether the Yakuza men with broken arms obeyed orders, Yu Jian toyed with a small gold coin in his right hand and carried the money box they had obediently handed over in his left as he walked out of the courtyard.

He forcefully flung the money box into the air, then casually cleaved it in two with a sword.

Various currencies were flying around everywhere, causing the surrounding civilians to gasp in surprise.

Ill-gotten gains are acquired unjustly.

It would be better to distribute it to the poor.

After finishing this task, Yu Jian turned and disappeared into the alley.

This world was completely different from the previous ones. From the surrounding environment to the people and things, everything was very similar to the real world. There was almost no flaw in it, as if he had really traveled to ancient times.

Even this inexplicably acquired new identity is perfectly complete.

His family background and past memories are like an incredibly detailed costume, completely transforming Mitsurugi from a down-on-his-luck ronin of the Edo period.

Once he realized who he was, his image immediately returned to normal.

Her hair turned white again, her eyes returned to emerald green, and her height became almost the same as in the real world. Only her hairstyle remained a slightly messy high ponytail, and the clothes she wore were the same, only they no longer fit her.

If Yujian were to play a down-on-his-luck swordsman in a sword-fighting film, he would most likely look like this.

Through casual conversations among passersby and the information he had just extracted from Yakuzana, he discovered that this world was not purely ancient. At least the current general's name sounded unfamiliar. Although he also shared the surname Tokugawa, there was no record of him in history books, as if he had been fabricated out of thin air.

We still need to find Milo as soon as possible. As a senior figure in the spiritual medium industry, even if he's just a dog, he probably knows more about this than I do.

After dealing with the unexpected minor trouble, Mitsurugi immediately began searching for Hayashihara Akemi and Milo, who were also caught up in the mundane world.

As an invasive breed from Siberia, Milo should be very conspicuous. As a dog god, it also has enough self-defense capabilities. If all else fails, it can disguise itself as a pet dog and use its cute appearance to get food and drink.

But Sister Lin is just an ordinary person...

It's unclear what identity she was given under the cover of time.

After searching around for a while, I suddenly heard a familiar bark.

"Wang Wang Wang!"

Yujian immediately looked in the direction from which the sound came. In the distance stood a massive, pitch-black castle tower, as large as a mountain, which looked nothing like a tall building that could have been built in the Edo period.

This world is absolutely different from true history.

But right now, finding the dog is the more important thing.

He leaped onto the top of the wall, then used his sword to swiftly rush towards the source of the sound, stepping across the tiles.

Then he saw a dog chasing and biting a group of samurai.

It seems like I don't need any help at all...

"Wang Wang Wang!"

Milo opened his blood-red maw menacingly, as if transforming into the legendary Pale Mountain Dog (a canine monster from Japanese folklore), chasing after the samurai until they cried out in despair.

bass!
Someone drew a weapon, the gleaming blade making Mitsurugi's eyes narrow. Just as he was about to step forward, Inugami Milo suddenly stood up.

Just as the name suggests, the dog stood up, its two short, thick hind legs supporting it on the ground, while its two front legs bent out clearly visible muscle contours, which even the Samoyed's long white fur could not completely conceal.

With two powerful punches, the samurai who dared to draw his sword was sent flying into the river like a shooting star.

"Humph--"

Just now, I think I might have seen the Samoyed hit someone... Yujian subconsciously wanted to rub his eyes, and then realized that Milo was indeed a senior, choosing a quiet place to carry out the attack, a narrow alley with no one around, so that there was no need to worry about witnesses.

Moreover, it strikes extremely quickly, making it difficult for anyone other than the victim to see exactly what happened.

As for the two samurai who were knocked away, if someone asked them why they fell into the water, do you think they would answer that they were hit by a dog, or that they slipped?
"Who dares to cause trouble in Edo in broad daylight?!" A righteous question came from outside the alley.

Looking up, one sees a group of officials dressed in uniform black robes, some of whom are also wearing Dong armor, protective armor, and generally have jigsaws shaped like short iron rulers and forks hanging at their waists, as well as katanas. They are special civil servants of this era who deal with heinous crimes such as arson and murder - the Fire and Thief Bureau.

"Huh? Where is everyone?" The officials who came after hearing the noise were surprised to find only a dog with its tongue lolling out.

While those below were baffled, Yu Jian also felt something was amiss.

These people are not ordinary government officials. In Edo, the capital city with strict weapons control, they have the special right to draw their swords. Why would they come to investigate just because they heard a little noise?

The officials seemed to have other important business to attend to and did not linger there for long.

After the enemy dispersed, Yujian listened intently for a moment before leaping off the roof.

"Mr. Milo," Yujian greeted him.

"Woof woof." The snow-white Samoyed ran over and barked twice.

“…I can’t understand you like that either.” The young swordsman with the same hair color scratched his head helplessly.

Then, he suddenly turned his gaze to the pile of junk not far away.

There were miscellaneous items such as broken baskets and winnowing trays piled up outside, probably things that the surrounding residents had left behind and wouldn't regret throwing away.

But a faint breathing sound could be heard coming from inside.

This made Yu Jian very concerned.

"Pfft."

Hearing his conversation with Milo, the person hiding among them couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Although the other person immediately covered their mouth, the sound still seemed very abrupt in the deserted streets.

"Who?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

A person emerged from behind the pile of debris.

She wore a round conical hat, with a snow-white veil draped from the edge of the hat to her feet. She wore a simple kimono, which, despite being the 'simple' attire of a noblewoman, was quite elaborate in its patterns, making it easy to see the difference between her and ordinary people—the difference in their wealth.

In addition, although the person's face was covered by a light veil and a straw hat, Miken felt that she looked familiar and then realized that it was none other than Hayashihara Akemi.
He was about to call out the other person's name when he heard a dog bark behind him.

Milo stepped forward and nudged Yujian's calf with his tail, as if hinting at something.

Immediately, he felt something subtly touching his consciousness.

Sensing the familiar aura belonging to Milo, Yu Jian allowed that thing to come into contact with his consciousness.

"Kid, I'm communicating with you telepathically."

The voice of Inugami Milo entered his mind, a feeling somewhat like someone writing on his palm, requiring careful reading, but the communication could end immediately by simply 'withdrawing his hand'.

"Don't bother replying. You're not a formal psychic yet, so you can't use telepathy. I'll just speak and you'll listen."

"This is not the shallow, ordinary world. We may have entered a recurrence of history or a manifestation of a story. Let's hope we don't fall into a depth below the mesozoic era, otherwise returning to the present world will be difficult."

Mesozoic Era? Yu Jian remembered that this was a term used to classify geological time periods. Could it be that the cultivation world has simply taken the easy way out and used this to refer to the depth of the Netherworld?

Unable to respond, he had no choice but to keep the question to himself for the time being.

"Let's not talk about that now." Milo's voice sounded a little impatient, but he still tried his best to remain calm.

"Remember, never casually call out Miss Lin Yuan's real name. Unlike cultivators like us who wield spiritual power, Miss Lin Yuan was just an ordinary person before she entered. She has now been given a new identity by the mortal world. If we forcibly break through this 'shell,' it could lead to confusion at the level of her soul and consciousness."

"In short, use your current identity to contact her first."

"I understand." Yu Jian nodded.

"Know what?"

Akemi Hayashihara was unaware that the white-haired boy in front of her was communicating with the white dog next to him, and thought that the other party was talking to her.

She seemed to be hiding a secret, and she became quite nervous upon hearing this.

"No, I'm talking to this dog." Yujian waved his hand to indicate that the other party did not need to panic.

"Hey?"

"This is my friend's dog. It's very well-behaved, so we sometimes talk to it jokingly." Yu Jian reached out and brushed the dog's fur, recalling lines from period dramas.

"May I ask which noble family you belong to, young lady? What brings you to a place like this?"

“Uh, I want to see the Kanda Festival up close, and the Edogawa Fireworks Festival afterwards, so…” Akemi Hayashihara didn’t reveal her identity, which was obviously part of the secret.

As for the so-called Kanda Matsuri and Edogawa Fireworks Festival, the former was one of the most important festivals in the Edo period. It is said that it originated from the pilgrimage festival after Tokugawa Ieyasu's victory in the Kanto Campaign (around 1600). Later, it gradually evolved into a large-scale festival that allowed all commoners in Edo to participate. It was also named "Tenka Matsuri" because it was granted special permission by the shogun to parade in Edo Castle.

The Edogawa Fireworks Festival is quite simple; just think of it as setting off fireworks by the river at night.

But there were already fireworks festivals in this era?

Yu Jian was unaware of this, only feeling that the world he had entered this time was indeed extraordinary.

(End of this chapter)