Chainsaw Man, starting contract to cut down the Demon Line

Upon hearing this, Dianci, who was standing behind Yan Liang, became even more embarrassed, his already somewhat reserved expression turning awkward.

It's broken!

Could it be those two monsters I killed before?

Suddenly, it dawned on him. Judging from the situation, he seemed to have killed someone very important. If this androgynous cult leader found out it was him, wouldn't it implicate his elder brother?

If I mess up my boss's mission, will the boss I just recognized kick me out?!

While he was still thinking about this and that, Yan Liang had already spoken.

"do not know."

Without even blinking, Yan Liang stared directly into Ai Ran's eyes, lying without changing his expression:

“The village is too big, and there are so many monsters. We are only responsible for clearing out the monsters you mentioned, and we haven’t encountered any of the guards you mentioned.”

"Perhaps they're hiding in some secluded corner, just in time to avoid us."

Hearing Yan Liang's nonchalant answer, Dian Ci was so shocked that his eyes widened.

Big brother! Big brother actually lied without batting an eye to cover for him! That's a real big brother!

"I see..."

Upon hearing this answer, Ai Ranman on the lotus platform's eyes narrowed.

He stared intently at Yan Liang, then glanced at Dian Ci, who was hiding behind Yan Liang with a clearly strange expression. A deeper meaning flashed in his eyes.

But Yan Liang didn't care, instead displaying a self-righteous expression: "If you don't believe me, go check it yourself."

The person was killed by electricity, but he can't actually sell the electricity now.

Furthermore, Yan Liang felt that Aizen Mitsuru wasn't as kind as he appeared. While killing those monsters, Yan Liang wondered... why didn't Aizen Mitsuru tell him the whole story of what happened in Shuijing Village when he first came here? Why did he have to keep it from him until he escaped on his own?

Yan Liang guessed that this guy most likely wanted to test their abilities. If they were capable of helping him kill those monsters, they would sit down and negotiate a fair deal. Conversely, if he was just an ordinary person with little strength and couldn't escape, would Aizen Man actually appear to save him?

Yan Liang didn't know, but he understood the scheme.

Now, assuming Aizen Manchukuo doesn't get entangled with these two guards, he's too lazy to bother with them, since all he needs is that wooden plaque. But if he insists on dwelling on this trivial matter, then Yan Liang will have to settle accounts with him.

A few seconds of silence lingered between them.

In the end, Ai Ranman didn't expose anything. His voice carried a hint of expected helplessness:

"Since we didn't run into them, let's just forget about it..."

Ai Ran did not press the matter further. He reached into his wide sleeve and pulled out a wooden plaque about the size of his palm.

“This is what you deserve, Yan Liangjun…”

Chapter 192 Clues to Returning Home

On the highway, car headlights pierced the thick darkness of the night.

After obtaining the wooden plaque, Yan Liang didn't want to stay in Shuijing Township for even a second longer. He immediately ordered Xiao Hong to drive, taking Dianci with him, and left the area, heading towards the road to Tokyo.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Yan Liang carefully examined the black wooden plaque lying in his palm by the dim light of the car's dashboard.

The wooden plaque felt cool to the touch and was surprisingly hard, unlike typical wood. A single line of text was simply engraved on its surface:

Find the demon of hell and use the key to open the gate.

This was the clue he had been longing for: how to return to his original world.

The good news is that this prophetic sign doesn't use any of the tricks of riddle tellers; it gives a clear goal.

The bad news is that this prophecy has also brought more problems.

"Hell demons, huh..."

Yan Liang silently pondered the name in his heart.

In the world of Chainsaw Man, Hell is a separate world.

Demons are born from human fear; the deeper the fear, the more powerful the demon. Conversely, as long as the concept of demons remains in people's fear, demons will not truly disappear.

Therefore, the demons that are killed do not simply die, but return to hell. Similarly, demons that die in hell will be reborn in some corner of the human world in a completely new form. Hell is the place where all demons are born and reincarnate.

If there truly is a door to other dimensions in this world, it would be quite reasonable for that door to be hidden in hell.

Finding the demon of hell is not difficult; in the original story, it can be seen through sacrifice.

But what is the key mentioned in the prophecy?

Yan Liang ran his fingers along the rough edges of the wooden sign, lost in thought.

To be honest, he couldn't even verify the authenticity of the information on the wooden sign, but it was his only clue, and naturally, he couldn't give it up. As for the key…

It seems that to figure out what the key represents, we need to find a more specialized devil.

For example, the one detained in the police basement who constantly shouted "The future is the highest," and who liked to spy on other people's lives...

"call……"

Having sorted out his thoughts, Yan Liang carefully put the wooden plaque into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.

Then, Yan Liang looked up at the pitch-black highway outside the windshield, and then at Dongshan Xiaohong beside him, whose eyelids were drooping due to her tension.

"Little Red".

"Huh?! Yes, yes! Captain, please give your orders!"

Xiao Hong was jolted awake and immediately perked up from her drowsy state.

"We don't need to get on the highway at the next fork in the road. We can just exit and go to a nearby city," Yan Liang said calmly.

"Huh? Aren't we going back to Tokyo tonight?" Xiaohong paused, somewhat hesitant. "But, if we don't hurry back..."

"It's the middle of the night, and you're driving at night, exhausted. Are you really going to crash into a ravine and take me with you to death?"

Yan Liang glanced at her and said matter-of-factly:

"Even if we drive now, even if we don't sleep all night, we might not be able to get to Tokyo. The earliest we can get there is tomorrow afternoon. You don't mind driving, but I'm tired of being a passenger."

"Besides, everyone's been through a lot today. If you keep things too tight, they'll break. Let's see if there's anywhere nearby where we can get some rest tonight, and then head back to Tokyo early tomorrow morning."

Upon hearing the word "rest," Xiao Hong's tense shoulders visibly relaxed, her eyes welled up, and she almost cried from gratitude.

She was so tired she was almost asleep, but without Yan Liang's permission, she didn't dare to ask for a rest. If the captain forced her to drive all night, she felt she would most likely die of exhaustion on the steering wheel.

Now that Yan Liang had taken the initiative to suggest it, Xiao Hong was overjoyed and quickly replied, "Okay, okay! Thank you for your consideration, Captain! I'll head to the nearest city right away!"

"Denji." Yan Liang said calmly, looking at Denji in the back seat.

"Yes, brother! What are your orders, brother!" Dian Ci, who was still lost in thought, sat up straight the moment he heard Yan Liang's question. His loud voice echoed in the carriage.

"You put in a lot of effort tonight, and you suffered... cough, you suffered a lot of grievances." Yan Liang originally wanted to say that he was frightened, but considering Dianci's pride, he changed to a more tactful word. "Tonight it's on me. Take a good bath and have a good meal. Consider it my reward for you."

Now that Denji is nominally his subordinate, Yan Liang can't possibly mistreat him. All interpersonal relationships must be maintained, otherwise they will quickly drift apart. When dealing with Denji, Yan Liang feels he must learn to use both kindness and firmness.

If the past was about showing power, now is the time to bestow grace.

However, Dianci's reaction was beyond Yan Liang's expectations.

Upon hearing the word "rest," Denji's face froze. For some reason, he immediately thought of a hotel, and the thought of a hotel led him to a bed, which in turn led him to the metal bed he had been sleeping on earlier that day.

"Big...Big brother..."

Shaking his head repeatedly, Dianci gripped the seatbelt with both hands and asked cautiously:

"That resting place... inside, there aren't those bare metal beds, are there?"

Yan Liang: "..."

Xiao Hong: "?"

"And..." Denji poked his head out nervously, "There shouldn't be any of those overly enthusiastic country girls in white dresses at that hotel, right? If any women come to give me a massage, big brother, you absolutely have to stop them! Don't let them take my pants off!"

Seeing Denji's reaction of being bitten by a snake once and being afraid of a well rope for ten years, Xiao Hong, who was driving in front, was completely confused. She couldn't understand a word Denji was babbling about. What iron bed? What pants?

Yan Liang sighed silently in his heart.

What a tragedy. What kind of psychological trauma must it take to turn someone whose mind is filled with nothing but lust for women into a gynophobia patient?

"Do not worry."

Yan Liang rubbed his temples and assured him:

“As long as you listen to me, I guarantee that something like today won’t happen again… By the way, I warned you about today’s incident before I even left, but you didn’t take my words seriously at all.”

Hearing Yan Liang's firm guarantee, Dianci finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's great... As long as I'm with Big Brother, I'm definitely the safest." Dianci was so moved that his eyes welled up with tears. He shrank back into the corner and even secretly vowed that as long as Yan Liang was by his side, he would never look at any woman outside, even if she stood naked in front of him!

Hearing the noise coming from the back seat, Yan Liang shook his head helplessly.

"Alright, stop overthinking and take a rest."

Chapter 193 Licking a woman is not as good as licking your brother

About half an hour later, the car drove off the highway and into a brightly lit city in the surrounding area, finally stopping in front of a large traditional Japanese garden.

"Captain, we've arrived."

Xiao Hong parked the car smoothly in the parking space and quickly opened the door and got out.

After being tormented all night, Dianci also climbed out of the back seat. As soon as he looked up, his eyes widened like copper bells.

The reason was simply because what lay before him was a very grand hot spring hotel.

The hotel's name is written in a flowing, elegant style on a huge solid wood plaque. A long row of paper lanterns emitting warm light hangs at the entrance. In the dry landscape garden, famous and precious welcoming pine trees and stone lanterns are arranged in a pleasing manner, and there is a man-made stream with a babbling brook.

Even late at night, before you even step into the inn, two elegant maids in kimonos are already bowing and waiting for you at the door.

"Gudong..."

Upon seeing this scene, Dianci unconsciously swallowed, and his legs inexplicably felt weak.

He grew up in a drafty, dilapidated shack and slept on a hard, moldy bed. Hayakawa Aki's small apartment was like paradise to him. The most luxurious place he had ever seen was Yan Liang's house. This palace, which resembled the residence of an ancient daimyo, made him, a penniless man, feel as if he were defiling the building just by looking at it.

How much would it cost to stay here one night?!

Denji touched his pockets, which were cleaner than his face, and then remembered his miserable past when he was willing to be someone's dog for a few hundred yen. He immediately had second thoughts.

Although my older brother just said he would treat him to a meal, this place looks too expensive! What if my older brother is just being polite and then asks him to pay for it with his body when it comes time to settle the bill?

"That, that...big brother."

Dian Ci rubbed his hands together, moved closer to Yan Liang who had just gotten off the bus, and lowered his voice:

"This place looks way too outrageous! I feel like even getting a sip of water would kill me... Maybe we should just forget about it and find a cheap motel on the street, or we could just sleep in the car. I wouldn't mind sleeping on the roof..."

Just as Denji was about to use his traditional virtue of hard work and perseverance to persuade Yanliang to switch to a cheaper shop, an accident occurred.

Standing before him, Yan Liang didn't even glance at the imposing hotel entrance. His brow furrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"Little Red".

Yan Liang's voice was tinged with disdain as he turned to look at Dongshan Xiaohong, who was getting her luggage: "Is this the only shabby place around here?"

"what?"

Dianci's mouth was halfway open when it caught in his throat, as if a bolt of lightning had struck him directly on the top of his head.

Shabby?!

He looked at the solid red wooden pillar, which was thicker than his waist, then at the elegant courtyard with its flowing water, and finally stared blankly at Yan Liang.

Dude, you call this castle-like place shabby?! A single piece of veneer from this pillar would be enough for me to eat white bread for a week!

"I'm so sorry, Captain!"

Upon hearing Yan Liang's accusation, Xiao Hong had no intention of refuting it. She stood up straight as if it were only natural and gave a standard ninety-degree bow, her tone full of fear and guilt:

"Because this place is too remote, we really couldn't find a better place... This is already the best hotel around. Please make do for one night...!"

"Fine, we can't expect too much from you since we're in the middle of nowhere." Yan Liang sighed and shook his head reluctantly. "I won't make things difficult for you since we're in the middle of nowhere. Go check in, one room per person, the best suite."

"Yes!" Upon hearing Yan Liang's instructions, Xiao Hong picked up her luggage and prepared to run inside.

At this moment, the electric vehicle had already petrified on the spot.

So... can the difference between people really be this great?