Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

"Breaking into my house in the middle of the night just to ask me something? You think I'm kidding? Get out of here right now, or else..."

The man gripping the hoe with both hands stared intently at Su Mu.

"I'm just asking for some information. I'll leave after I answer them."

Seeing the wary look on the male homeowner's face and the terrified expressions of his wife and children behind him, Su Mu sighed slightly. He could understand it; anyone would be wary if a stranger sneaked into their room late at night, and might even take action.

The man who owned the house attacked the moment he saw him, but unfortunately, he was knocked down with a single punch. Only then did the man realize the difference in their strength and dare not make another move.

Su Mu didn't care whether the man in the room believed him or not, and instead asked, "Are there any places nearby that sell charcoal?"

The man gripped his hoe tightly, staring intently at Su Mu without speaking. He clearly didn't believe that someone breaking into his house in the middle of the night was just asking about charcoal sales; he felt the man was trying to lower his guard, and then…

However, his youngest daughter, who was still quite young, naively thought that the other party was just asking for some information, so she answered softly, "Is it the Machida family at the far east end of town that sells charcoal, or Uncle Kimura's family that sells charcoal..."

"Oh, think about the charcoal vendors around here, are there any with the surname 'stove'?"

Su Mu's voice also became gentle.

The man of the house still gripped the hoe tightly, but he didn't stop his youngest daughter from answering. Although he didn't think the intruder who broke into the room in the middle of the night was just asking for some information, but... what if?

"No."

The little girl thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"Think about it again..."

Su Mu frowned slightly and tapped the table lightly with his hand.

"No...no."

The little girl shook her head, then looked at her father, perhaps he knew.

The male homeowner clearly didn't trust Su Mu and didn't believe that the other man would break into his home late at night just to ask such a simple question. If he really wanted to ask these questions, couldn't he have asked them during the day? Breaking in late at night must mean he had ulterior motives.

“None of the charcoal sellers around here have the surname ‘Zaomen’.” The man gripped his hoe tightly. “If you try to harm my family, I will fight you to the death, even if it means my own demise… I will…”

"No?"

Su Mu sighed softly, looking at the man who was clearly terrified but had mustered his courage for the sake of his wife and child behind him, and showed a hint of apology: "I'm sorry to bother you so late at night."

After saying that, Su Mu turned and left.

"They...they left?"

Even after Su Mu's figure had completely disappeared, the male homeowner was still somewhat incredulous. Could the intruder who broke into his room in the middle of the night really have only been there to ask for some information?

And things like this began to happen continuously in the surrounding areas, centered on 'Mount Sagiri'.

Most small towns have small populations, so this strange incident quickly sparked a lot of discussion. People were curious about why this strange person who broke into their home in the middle of the night would use such an unusual way of asking questions. Why would they break into someone's home at night when they could ask during the day? What kind of weird quirk was this?

…………

After driving through five small towns, Su Mu stopped and looked up at the sky.

The high-hanging full moon gradually sank, and at that moment, a sense of unease began to rise in my heart.

The sun is about to rise.

He murmured under his breath, his demonic instincts clearly acutely aware of it.

At this moment, he was already far from his original residence, and it was too late to rush back. He needed to find a place to hide nearby to avoid the rising sun.

For evil spirits, this is a matter of life and death.

After searching for a while, he found a basement in an abandoned courtyard in the town and immediately went inside without hesitation.

Before we knew it, the morning light shone through the thin mist onto the earth, the pitch-black night faded away, and sunlight filled every corner.

Su Mu remained hidden in the darkness deep within the basement, watching the world outside shrouded in light, silent.

…………

In front of a family home in the small town, marked by wisteria blossoms.

A man with a Nichirin sword hanging from his waist appeared at the door.

His still-young face had an icy aura that kept strangers at bay, and deep within his sharp eyes lay not only weariness but also a profound sadness.

He was wearing a tight-fitting black outfit, with the character '滅' (destroy) embroidered on the back.

"Come in and rest, your companions are all inside."

An elderly woman came out and welcomed the young man inside.

The man's name is Hiroshi Furukawa. He is a swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps who practices the "Breath of Flames". He had recently bid farewell to the "Flame Pillar" Kyojuro Rengoku after accepting a mission to slay demons.

His demon-slaying squad then began searching the surrounding area in hopes of finding traces of the evil spirits.

For the Demon Slayer Corps' demon slayers, the best time to hunt demons is undoubtedly during the day. If demons can be bathed in sunlight, even the powerful 'Twelve Demon Moons' will vanish under the sun.

But in the struggle against evil spirits over thousands of years, evil spirits have always been able to hide themselves well during the day. Now, it is impossible to find evil spirits hiding in the daytime. Even if you do find them, the places where these evil spirits hide are only caves in the mountains or extremely deep underground waterways... places where there is no sunlight at all.

Nowadays, the only time to slay evil spirits is at night.

As Hiroshi Furukawa entered the room, several men dressed in similar tight black clothes stood up, their faces faintly showing sadness.

"Still haven't found Murayama?"

Hiroshi Furukawa looked at his companions with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

Murayama was part of their squad, but he went missing a few days ago while searching for traces of evil spirits in the vicinity, and there has been no news of him since.

Several of his companions shook their heads.

Seeing this, Hiroshi Furukawa unconsciously clenched his fists. Everyone knew what it meant to disappear while searching for the demon's tracks.

Although I knew when I became a demon hunter that I would die on this path sooner or later, when it actually happened, an overwhelming sadness still welled up in my heart.

"Where was the last place Murayama explored?"

Suppressing his grief, Hiroshi Furukawa questioned his companions. The news of their possible sacrifice did not break him; instead, it strengthened his resolve to slay the demons.

"It's Taro Town."

One of his companions gritted his teeth.

"Head to Taro Town immediately to search; the evil spirit must be hiding nearby."

Hiroshi Furukawa gripped the hilt of his sword, his eyes fierce, an endless rage building within him. The only way to quell that rage was to use his Nichirin Blade to sever the demon's neck.

Chapter 16 The Girl Who Was Sold

Taro Town

The girl with beautiful pink eyes struggled to carry a full bucket of water home. Her petite body swayed as she moved slowly, and soon she arrived at the door of her somewhat dilapidated house.

A raggedly dressed man, reeking of alcohol, stood at the door, speaking eagerly to a richly dressed man beside him. Upon seeing the girl carrying water, he turned to the richly dressed man and said ingratiatingly, "Lord Ichiro, this is my daughter. Lord Ichiro, what do you think? How much would you sell her for?"

"Too thin."

Akiyama Ichiro looked at the girl and shook his head.

"Lord Ichiro, don't let my thinness fool you, my daughter is very easy to raise. She doesn't eat much; I only feed her once every few days and she's perfectly fine. Also, look, she's very sensible, obedient, and well-behaved. Even if you beat her, she wouldn't dare to fight back..."

Akiyama Ichiro didn't say anything, but looked the girl over. Although the girl's eyes were a little empty and stiff, her pinkish-purple eyes were as bright as stars. Although her cheeks were pale due to malnutrition, her features were still very beautiful. If she was properly cared for, she would definitely grow into an extremely beautiful woman in the future.

Ichiro Akiyama was extremely confident in his judgment, and he believed that whether he played with such high-quality goods himself or sold them, he would make a fortune.

I heard that the other party originally had eleven children, but they beat them to death and starved ten of them to death. Only this girl survived. If the other children were of the same quality as this girl, I don't know how much money I could make if I bought them all.

Thinking about all this, Akiyama Ichiro sighed at the other party's stupidity and cruelty. After all, they were his own children; how could any parents be so heartless?

However, if the other party hadn't been so heartless, I probably wouldn't have been able to buy such excellent goods.

"I'll increase the price a little more for you."

……

The thin girl struggled to walk into the house carrying the bucket of water. She had overheard her father's conversation with others and heard the news that he was going to sell her. She showed no emotion; her eyes were empty and numb.

If other children heard that they had been sold by their parents, they would probably cry and make a scene out of sadness, but the girl did not feel the slightest bit of sadness when she heard this.

For her, sadness has gradually faded into the distance.

From birth, she has never received any gentle treatment. She is not quite sure how she has survived to this day. In the beginning, she would cry and make a fuss, but every time she cried and made a fuss, she would only be beaten by her father. As long as she cried, she would be severely beaten.

Gradually, she stopped crying.

Sometimes, even something slightly happy, like finally getting to eat a rice ball and smiling, might trigger a beating from a parent in a bad mood.

So, gradually, I stopped laughing.

The bittersweet emotions were slowly buried deep inside him with each beating. As his older brother and sister, who had been taking care of him, were beaten to death by his parents one by one, he gradually became less and less able to feel other emotions and slowly lost the ability to express his feelings.

Gradually, I stopped having any expectations for tomorrow.

……

After agreeing on the price, Akiyama Ichiro paid and said to the man reeking of alcohol:

"I have things to take care of today. I'll come back in a couple of days to take him away. He can stay here with you for the next couple of days."

"Okay, Ichiro-sama."

The man, reeking of alcohol, happily accepted the money from selling his daughter.

At this moment, the girl who had been struggling to carry the water bucket, who hadn't felt sad even if her parents sold her, raised her head for once. Her pinkish-purple eyes flickered intensely, but when she saw her father, who reeked of alcohol, she shrank back in fear.

It wasn't because her father sold her that she felt anything; it was simply the emotion that suddenly arose in her heart because she was about to leave this home.

It wasn't because there was anything in this house that the girl cared about; it was simply because once she left, she would never be able to see that gentle uncle again at night.

She didn't want to leave home.

I still want to see my uncle every night.

The first time I truly experienced warmth, the first time I truly felt treated with gentleness.

But these things... are gradually fading away.

Her small fists clenched unconsciously, but it was all in vain. No matter how warm it was, it would eventually be lost, and all that awaited her was endless cold.

The girl's eyes gradually became unfocused, and her beautiful, slightly bright pinkish-purple eyes slowly turned wooden and stiff, like an emotionless puppet.

…………