People in Demon Slayer: The Journey That Began with Demon Slayer

The demon's entire body seemed to transform into a gigantic mouth, swallowing Zhi whole as he charged forward.

However, after the demon successfully swallowed Zhi, its eyes were filled with disbelief.

The demon looked down at its body. The gaping maw on its stomach disappeared, replaced by a huge, gaping wound that even broke its spine. Then, the demon collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud.

Osamu kept punching the demon, and soon, just as Osamu had said before, the demon's body, except for its head, turned into a pile of rotten mud and flesh.

However, the demon was unconcerned and grinned maliciously, saying, "It's no use, I can't die! No matter how badly I'm injured, I can recover!"

Zhi immediately called out, "Lianxue!"

Lianxue instantly understood what Zhi meant, came to Zhi's side, and placed her hand on the demon's forehead.

"Blood Demon Art: Prism Wall Ice Seal"

The demon's head, along with its body which had been blasted into mincemeat by Zhi, was frozen by Lianxue. Zhi threw the frozen demon outside the dilapidated temple and mocked, "Dawn will break soon. I'll see if you, bathed in sunlight, will be as immortal as you claim!"

Amidst the demon's terrified gaze, Zhi and Renyuki disappeared from sight.

Osamu and Koyuki returned to Yosuke's side. Yosuke looked at Osamu teasingly and asked, "So, what are your thoughts?"

Looking at his hands, Zhi clenched his fists and said with some frustration, "I'm not strong enough! I need to become stronger and stronger! Until no one can beat me!"

Yosuke wanted to encourage Osamu: "Don't be discouraged. For someone who has just become a demon, your strength is already quite impressive."

But Renyuki hugged Zhi tightly, saying, "I believe you can do it, my husband."

Yosuke rolled his eyes dramatically, realizing he was ultimately superfluous.

Chapter 30 You Guo

Yosuke, Osamu, and Renyuki embark on another journey without a destination.

The three arrived at Yoshiwara Yukaku on the banks of the Rashomon River.

Yoshiwara is a famous red-light district, a night city where vanity, desire, love, and hate of men and women mingle and intertwine. The decadent lifestyle makes those of high status and wealth linger here.

Yosuke led Osamu and Renyuki through the red-light district of the pleasure quarters. Even at night, the red-light district was as crowded as daytime.

There are also the top courtesans from various shops parading through the streets to display their beauty, cultivate their shops, and attract customers.

"Hey, Osamu, isn't she beautiful?"

Zhi nodded subconsciously. He had never seen such a spectacle before. His eyes were fixed on the courtesan parading in the distance, as if he wanted to bulge his eyes out.

Then Zhi was jolted, stiffly turned his head, and found Lianxue glaring at him with a murderous look.

"Lianxue, let me explain. I was just curious... Yes, just curious. In my eyes, they aren't even a tenth as beautiful as you!"

Lianxue ignored Zhi's explanation, grabbed his ear, and threatened him with a gloomy expression: "If you look at me again, I'll freeze you and throw you out on the street!"

Zhi was so frightened that he immediately closed his eyes and followed behind Lianxue in dejection.

Yosuke led the two to an izakaya (Japanese pub), where he ordered a pot of sake and they drank some in the room.

Meanwhile, Zhi was still comforting the angry Renxue.

Seeing Osamu and Koyuki constantly showing off their affection in front of him, Yosuke finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey, we've finally found a lively place at night, you two should go out and explore!"

"Yes, Renyuki, Yosuke-sama is right. I'll go shopping with you."

Renyuki snorted at Osamu, got up and left the izakaya on her own, and Osamu quickly followed her.

Seeing the two leave, Yosuke breathed a sigh of relief, finally having his own time alone.

Since Osamu and Koyuki came into his life, Yosuke suddenly felt that his life was a little different.

It felt like there was a sense of everyday life in it.

Although Osamu always gave him a headache, Yosuke didn't dislike the feeling.

"But... these two guys don't even consider how I've been alone for hundreds of years."

Born with an immense responsibility, Yosuke had no time to find a partner, let alone meet a woman who could move his heart.

Even for Yosuke, Tamayo was nothing more than a family bond for companionship, a bond born of loneliness, though they had now parted ways.

Now, hundreds of years later, although Yosuke still looks young, his mindset is completely different, and he no longer cares about his partner.

Yosuke drank one cup of wine after another. Although he would never get drunk no matter how much he drank, Yosuke still enjoyed the feeling of being intoxicated by the wine itself.

At this point, Osamu had reconciled with Koyuki, and he wanted to take Koyuki back to the izakaya, but she refused.

“Osamu, Lord Yosuke asked us to come out for a stroll because he wants to be alone. Let’s go back later.”

Zhi scratched his head in confusion: "Huh, really? I didn't feel anything?"

Renyuki rolled her eyes at Zhi: "Because you're a complete idiot whose brain is only focused on fighting!"

Renyuki sat on the bank of the Rashomon River, gazing at the flowing water, and said softly, "We are so lucky to have met Lord Yosuke. He gave me a new life and allowed me to be by Osamu's side again."

Osamu sat down next to Koyuki and sighed, "Yes, we are really lucky. If Yosuke-sama hadn't appeared back then, I don't know what I would have done that I would have regretted. Although we follow Yosuke-sama, it is actually Yosuke-sama who has been taking care of us all along."

“Although Lord Yosuke has never mentioned his past, I can feel that Lord Yosuke is very tired inside, carrying a heavy burden that is unimaginable to us. So heavy that even just a little bit of it makes it hard for me to breathe…” Renyuki said with a sad expression, her hands clasped tightly together in unease.

Osamu gently separated Renyuki's tightly clasped hands, then intertwined his fingers with hers, gazing at the shimmering lake: "I will strive to become stronger, to become someone Yosuke-sama acknowledges, so that Yosuke-sama will no longer have to bear those heavy burdens alone!"

Just as Zhi and Lianxue were filled with emotion, they suddenly heard a heartbreaking cry.

When Zhi and Lianxue arrived, they only saw a severely injured boy carrying a charred female body, walking alone.

"No one is willing to help us. As always, this is our daily life. No one is willing to help us at any time. Everything is merciless to us. Why is that...? Isn't it said that misfortune and fortune are not different? Why don't you take turns bringing good and bad things to us!"

The boy's voice, filled with immense sorrow and resentment, echoed throughout the street, but all the doors of the houses remained tightly shut, and no one was willing to lend them a helping hand.

"Xiaomei, if you could stay in a better shop, you might become a respectable courtesan. If you were born into an ordinary family, you might become an ordinary girl. If you were born into an upper-class family, you might become a noble heiress."

After all, you have a frank personality and are easily influenced. It's all because I raised you that you've become like this. Without me, you might have taken a different path. My only concern... is you..."

The boy fell to the ground, curled up, holding the charred girl in his arms, his face full of self-reproach.

Looking at the seriously injured boy, Zhi seemed to see a reflection of himself when he was about to lose Renxue.

Osamu, who empathizes with the boy, wants to help him, just as Yosuke helped him before.

Osamu reached out his hand to the boy: "Do you want to live? I can give you a chance, a chance for you and the girl in your arms to be resurrected, but the price is that you will become a ghost who can never see the sunlight again. Are you... willing?"

The boy struggled to lift his head and looked at Osamu in front of him. The boy, who was on the verge of death, used his last bit of strength to grasp Osamu's hand.

"Please, please save my sister, at least... let her live..."

Osamu cut open his palm and dripped the blood of the Demon King, which Yosuke had given him, into the mouths of the boy and the girl.

Renyuki didn't stop Osamu, but just watched silently from the side, because she knew that the gentle Yosuke wouldn't blame Osamu for his actions at this moment.

——

P.S.: Sorry, readers, only four chapters today.

I need some time to brainstorm the future plot.

Because I update as much as I write, I don't have any drafts saved up.

This marks the beginning of a new chapter, and we're gradually moving into the main storyline.

Thank you for your understanding~

Love you guys ~

Chapter 31 Life

Yosuke looked helplessly at the two children that Osamu and Koyuki had brought back.

"So, the time I let you go out for a stroll, you brought me back two children, is that right?"

He scratched his head sheepishly, "Mainly, seeing what he went through made me feel a little guilty..."

The boy in front of me had messy hair, was very thin, and had black and green hair. He was wearing a kimono with his chest open.

The girl, on the other hand, was completely different. She had long, smooth white hair and, although she was still young, her features suggested that she would grow up to be a great beauty. But right now, she was hiding timidly behind the boy.

The two children were still wary of the stranger, Yosuke, and looked at him cautiously.

Yosuke tried his best to be friendly: "What are your names?"

"Whore Taro."

"plum."

Upon hearing the two children's names, Yosuke nearly choked on his breath. Had his place now turned into a Twelve Demon Moons shelter?!

Seeing that Yosuke's expression was not good, Osamu quickly patted Gyutaro on the shoulder.

Gyutaro looked at Osamu with a puzzled expression, and Osamu whispered a reminder: "Hurry up and say something nice."

Now, Gyutaro's attitude towards Osamu, who saved him and his sister, is second only to that towards his beloved sister.

Gyutaro pulled Kome down and knelt before Yosuke: "Please take us in, sir. Whatever you need us to do, we will do our best!"

Yosuke frowned as he looked at Gyutaro and Komei, who were kneeling on the ground with their heads down. Due to the influence of their childhood, Gyutaro and Komei, as Upper Moon Six of the Twelve Demon Moons, had lost their moral compass as humans and had completely become demons.

Since they had become demons because of his blood, Yosuke felt a responsibility towards Gyutaro and Kome.

"What is the meaning of life for you?"

Gyutaro and Kome stared blankly at Yosuke. He struggled to survive every day and had never thought about the meaning of living.

"For... Mei?" Gyutaro answered uncertainly.

"Leaving aside others, what I want to ask you is the meaning of your lives?"

Gyutaro and Kome looked completely bewildered and couldn't answer Yosuke's question.

Even Osamu and Renyuki were completely baffled; they couldn't answer Yosuke's question.

"Lord Yosuke, this question is still too profound for them."

Yosuke shook his head: "They've become ghosts, they already possess endless life. If they haven't grasped the meaning of life, and are living like walking corpses, what's the point of living?"

Kome peeked out from behind Gyutaro and asked Yosuke, "Sir, what do you think is the meaning of life?"

Yang Jie smiled and replied, "Everyone has a different understanding of the meaning of life. My understanding is that it is not difficult to escape death, but it is difficult to escape evil, because evil will chase people faster than death."