"But gradually, everyone found that they seemed to like the feeling of killing. It was as if the evil spirits in their hearts were released, and everyone began to kill people in various ways. For example, before killing someone, they would gouge out their eyes, or cut open their stomachs and dig out their intestines, and then kill them after they watched their intestines get tangled..."

……

“Ugh…”

At this point, Rengoku Chijuro, the youngest among the crowd, vomited. The others also turned pale, unable to believe that this was something a human could do.

"This, this is something our country's military has done?"

At this moment, Fushigawa Miyabi was covered in cold sweat, unable to believe that his country had committed such horrific atrocities.

The situation of Shinobu Kocho was no better than that of the others. Even though she had merged with Uchiha Izumi and had all of his memories, she, as a human for three lifetimes, still couldn't imagine that someone would commit such atrocities. This kind of killing for the sake of killing was a sin more terrible than a demon!

"Why do you do this?" Butterfly Shinobu asked in confusion:

"Wouldn't it be enough to occupy the military port and achieve the military goal? Even if you need to plunder wealth and women to reward the soldiers, you can just let the soldiers plunder. Why do you have to massacre the city?"

"There are two specific reasons." Rengoku Makijuro pondered:

"On the one hand, it is to reduce the cost of occupation. Shizikou is one of the best deep-water ports in East Asia, so the top leaders naturally want to completely occupy this place. But the local Shenzhou people will naturally not allow it. After all, this is where their ancestors have lived for generations. So the top leaders ordered all the local people to be killed, so that these Shenzhou civilians will not cause trouble in such a military stronghold in the future."

"On the other hand, it is also for our country's long-term strategic goals. As everyone knows, our country definitely wants to completely conquer Shenzhou. But Shenzhou's population is several times larger than ours, which greatly increases the cost of governance after conquest. So the top leaders want to follow the US's approach to indigenous residents and kill all the Shenzhou people."

"As long as all the Shenzhou people are dead, there will be no need to worry about the Shenzhou land being taken back by the Shenzhou people. Therefore, the massacre of Shizikou by the high-level officials should only be a preview of future conquests and killings. I think you will see in your lifetime that similar massacres will continue to be staged on the land of Shenzhou until the Shenzhou people become a minority group like the natives of the United States."

At this point, Rengoku Makijuro smiled and said:

"In fact, when it comes down to it, our country's atrocities against China are nothing more than imitations of the Western powers. Who made the powers that dominate the world do the same? Since the powers have become powerful because of such massacres and atrocities, we, as successors, will naturally follow the same path."

Seeing the Demon Slayers all showing pain and resentment because of his words, Rengoku Makijuro drank a sip of wine helplessly and said:

"So, now you understand how the people of Shenzhou see our daily lives, right? They call us 'devils', and that's absolutely right. At the national level, we are ghosts, man-eating ghosts!"

"From this perspective, you will find that the actions of the Demon Slayer Corps are completely meaningless and may even bring more deaths. Imagine if there were no Demon Slayer Corps, evil spirits would surely overrun our country. And due to internal problems, our country might slow down the pace of conquering Shenzhou, and tens of millions of Shenzhou civilians would be saved."

“Hehe, this is the most ironic thing in the world! The Demon Slayer Corps who only want to protect others are the sinful butchers, while Muzan Kibutsuji, who caused endless killings, is the hero who saved the world. If there really is heaven and hell in this world, maybe the person who can go to heaven is Muzan Kibutsuji!”

Faced with Rengoku Makijuro's ridicule, the Demon Slayer Corps were speechless.

They suddenly understood the reason why Rengoku Makijuro was playing badly. The current policy of the Demon Slayer Corps was indeed wrong. They always avoided killing the real evil spirits and only focused on the small Muzan Kibutsuji. Such a Demon Slayer Corps would never be able to kill the real evil spirits, but would become the accomplices of those evil spirits in killing people.

In short, everyone here at Rengoku Makijuro understands the tense relationship between Shenzhou and Xiaorizi, and also has certain expectations for the future trip to Shenzhou. When everyone was ready to leave, Rengoku Makijuro finally said:

"Oh, by the way, if you see that brat Yuxuan, say hello to her for me. Also, say sorry to her for me. I didn't save any of her relatives and friends back then."

At the end of his speech, Rengoku Makijuro drank the wine in the jug and then fell into a deep sleep.

……

"I never thought such a terrible thing would happen back then." Rengoku Kyojuro sighed:

"Now I finally understand why my father is so depressed. If I were to encounter these things, I would probably be like him!"

Beimingyu Xingming clasped his hands together and sighed:

"I have also heard about the incident at Shizikou from my fellow practitioners in Shenzhou. I never expected that the truth was even more cruel than the rumors. What a sin, what a sin!"

But Busei Kawaichi snorted coldly and said:

“Himae-san, what’s the point of just shouting about your guilt? We are the Demon Slayer Corps, and we should kill the guy who gave the order! From now on, if anyone commits massacre in the war, we, the Demon Slayer Corps, will kill him. I don’t believe that those guys are really not afraid of death and would rather be killed than commit massacres!”

In response, Shinobu Kocho nodded and said:

"I agree with Fuzugawa-senpai's opinion. Killing innocent people is more abominable than being a demon. It should be put to death with one blow!"

Seeing that Kocho Shinobu and Fushigawa Sane's opinions were becoming more extreme, Beimingyu Xingming shook his head and said:

"You two, don't be too impulsive! The Demon Slayer Corps is in a very dangerous situation right now. If we rashly attack the top brass, we will inevitably face a blow from the military. The current Demon Slayer Corps simply does not have the ability to fight against the top brass. So before we take action, it's best to make adjustments to the Demon Slayer Corps internally."

"We can only assassinate the extremists among the top leaders after the Demon Slayer Corps is well prepared to survive the attacks from the top leaders. Even assassination requires detailed intelligence and professional training. In short, we have to think about everything in the long run. The most important thing for us now is the affairs of Shenzhou."

After hearing the advice of Gyoumei Gyoumei, Shinobu Kocho and Fushigawa Minami nodded in agreement. So after the three of them left the Rengoku family's residence, they reported their opinions to Ubuyashiki Yoya.

When Ubuyashiki Yoshiya saw that the three of them actually wanted to attack the military high-ranking officials, he was shocked at first. But then he thought about the recent change in the attitude of the high-ranking officials towards the Demon Slayer Corps, and he knew that it was time for the Demon Slayer Corps to change its strategic goals.

Chapter 140: The Misfit Fushigawa

Just when Ubuyashiki Kōya was making various arrangements for the transformation of the Demon Slayer Corps, Shinobu Kocho and others also arrived at the port of Kanto and found the two masters who would travel with them.

Of the two, Nogizaka Bunzo, who represented the military, was a soldier who was nearly 1 meters tall, in his thirties, and had a sturdy and tall figure. He was wearing a Qing Dynasty jacket and carrying a long sword that was more than one meter long. He looked so majestic that passers-by subconsciously chose to take a detour.

Arisugawa Shusui, who represents the royal family, is the opposite of Nogizaka Bunzo. She is only 18 years old this year, young and beautiful, unlike other members of the royal family who have become ugly due to inbreeding.

If you look closely, you can see that her eyes are a unique light pink, reflecting light like gemstones. Coupled with her beautiful face, it is not an exaggeration to say that she is a beauty of nature.

Seeing the arrival of Shinobu Kocho and others, Arisugawa Shusui saluted respectfully, and his words and actions showed his good upbringing. However, Nogizaka Bunzo just snorted coldly, obviously not taking the Demon Slayer Corps seriously.

Shinobu Kocho and the others didn't take Nogizaka Bunzo's rude behavior to heart and just introduced themselves.

At this time, the three Kocho Shinobu also changed into Shenzhou clothes. Among them, Fushigawa Saneya and Nogizaka Bunzo were wearing Qing Dynasty jackets, which looked a bit out of place. Beimingyu Xingmei, who came from Buddhism, held a rosary in his hand and wore a cassock, looking like a Shenzhou monk. The Kocho's outfit was very similar to Arisugawa Shusui. Both of them wore sky blue tops with black long skirts, looking like female students in Shenzhou at this time.

After everyone had introduced themselves, Nogizaka Bunzo said impatiently:

"Let's go now, don't waste time here."

After saying that, he boarded the ship to Shenzhou on his own. Seeing this, Shinobu Kocho and others had no choice but to follow him.

Ten days later, they finally arrived at Songjiang Prefecture, the most prosperous area in China.

After getting off the boat, everyone searched at the dock for a while and soon found the people from Shenzhou Taoist Sect to pick them up.

The man was about 27 or 28 years old, smiling and dignified. He looked very handsome. But compared to his outstanding appearance and temperament, his clothes made Kocho and the others frown slightly. This was because his clothes had many patches and stains on the corners, which obviously had not been washed for many days.

Noticing everyone's gaze, the man bowed and said:

"I'm sorry, I come from a poor family and don't have the money to buy two new clothes. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you all."

After that, the man smiled awkwardly, obviously realizing that the people in front of him probably didn't understand Chinese, and his explanation was in vain. Then he took out a pen and paper from his pocket, wrote his meaning on the paper, and told everyone.

At that time, Chinese characters were still widely used in daily life, unlike later generations when katakana was everywhere. So when everyone saw the note, they realized that this person was born in poverty, so the clothes he was wearing were second-hand goods bought from a pawnshop. Although he tried hard to wash them, he had no money to buy washing powder, so no matter how he washed them, they were not clean.

Then the man introduced his name on the paper.

"My last name is Zhao, and my name is Shixia. I am from Yangzhou Prefecture. I have been a disciple of the Shangqing Sect of the Maoshan Sect since I was a child. This time I am here on behalf of the Maoshan Sect to contact everyone and jointly solve the problem of the Mausoleum of the First Emperor. I hope everyone can give me more advice."

Hearing that this person was Master Zhao, the people present immediately became alert. Then Nogizaka Bunzo asked:

"Are you Master Zhao?"

Zhao Shixia didn't understand what Nogizaka Bunzang was saying, so Nogizaka Bunzang had to write down his thoughts with pen and paper.

It turned out that although Nogizaka Bunzo was in the military, he had heard of Zhao Shixia's reputation. He was very dissatisfied with Zhao Shixia's reputation of "three feet in front of him, invincible in the world", so he prepared to use his long sword to compete with Zhao Shixia.

And it wasn't just Nogizaka Bunzo, Fushigawa Miya also had similar ideas.

However, in response to this challenge, Master Zhao just smiled and waved his hand, then wrote on the paper:

"It's getting late, so let's put our luggage away first. As for making friends through martial arts, there will be plenty of time for that later. Besides, this is not the place for fighting."

As he spoke, Master Zhao pointed to the densely packed crowd at the dock, apparently meaning that this was not a good place for a duel.

Seeing this, Nogizaka Bunzo and Fushigawa Shiya had to give up the idea of dueling and followed Master Zhao to the hotel prepared by the Shenzhou Dao Sect. The door of the hotel was plain and simple, and it was obvious that the Shenzhou Dao Sect was not well-off. However, after entering the hotel, everyone found that it was clean and tidy inside, and even the waitress spoke very nicely.

Obviously, although Shenzhou Daomen is short of money, its attitude towards receiving foreign guests is still worthy of recognition. Such a cost-effective hotel is not easy to find.

After leading everyone into the room, everyone saw a little girl of about twelve or thirteen, fiddling with a compass in her hand and calculating something. The little girl looked not even as tall as Kocho Shinobu, and had two big braids on her head, just a girl. But this little girl had a serious face at this time, and she was muttering:

"Taishang Laojun hastily ordered... Bing Zhuan... Sanhe Fire Bureau..."

It was not until Master Zhao led everyone into the room that the little girl dropped the compass in her hand, jumped up to Master Zhao, looked at everyone curiously and said:

"Brother Zhao, who is Shinobu Kocho here?"

Hearing the little girl actually say her name, Kocho Shinobu frowned slightly.

Then the little girl stared at everyone, then pointed at Nogizaka Bunzo and said:

"I know, this guy is Kocho Shinobu. The newspaper said Kocho Shinobu is eight feet tall, has a green face and fangs, likes to eat people, and especially likes to eat disobedient children! I think this guy is the most similar!"

As soon as these words came out, before Master Zhao could react, Nogizaka Bunzo shouted angrily:

"What is Kocho Ninja? I am Nogizaka Bunzo!"

Although Nogizaka Bunzo used ordinary language when he said this, his reaction almost told everyone that this guy actually knew Chinese. He just pretended to communicate with pen and paper, but it was just an act!

Not only Nogizaka Bunzo, the taciturn Arisugawa Shusui also smiled when he saw the little girl recognized the wrong person. This smile also proved one thing. This Arisugawa Shusui, like Nogizaka Bunzo, knew Chinese!

Seeing the two people's reactions, Zhao Shixia's face was obviously unhappy.

Since both of you know Chinese, why were you pretending to be with me at the dock just now? Can't you just be a translator?

In response, Arisugawa Shusui bowed and apologized, then explained in Chinese:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Zhao. I thought I was the only one among the five of us who understood Chinese, so I didn't say anything to stop you from using pen and paper to communicate with others. I hope you can forgive me if this caused you dissatisfaction."

Seeing such a beautiful woman bowing to apologize to him, Master Zhao naturally had no reason to get angry. And the little girl said:

"Oh, don't talk about this. Tell me who among you is Kocho Shinobu. I, Miss Zhang Taihua, will teach her a lesson on behalf of Shenzhou Longhushan!"

Hearing that the little girl was going to cause trouble for Shinobu Kocho, Beimingyu Xingming stepped forward and asked in Chinese:

"My dear fellow Taoist, we, the Demon Slayer Corps, have no grudge against Shenzhou. Why are you looking for trouble with our members?"

It turns out that not only Arisugawa Shusui and Nogizaka Bunzo, but also Beimeiyu Gyomei, who often exchanges Buddhist teachings with Shenzhou monks, can communicate in Chinese.

"So you're also a member of the Demon Slayer Corps!"

Seeing Beimingyu Xingming dressed like a monk, Zhang Taihua scratched his head and asked in confusion:

"That's not right. Didn't the newspaper say that the Demon Slayer Corps likes to eat humans and use us Shenzhou people for human experiments? You don't look like one!"

After hearing this, Shinobu Kocho was speechless. So she stepped forward and said in standard Chinese:

"Little sister, who told you that the Demon Slayer Corps eats people?"

"Everyone in Shenzhou says so." Zhang Taihua said, and then pointed at Kocho Shinobu with a look of dissatisfaction:

"Besides, who are you calling little sister? You're not much older than me!"

As he spoke, he tiptoed to show that his height was already mature and he was no shorter than Shinobu Kocho.

"By the way, who are you? Do you know Shinobu Kocho?"

Butterfly Shinobu chuckled and said:

"I am Shinobu Kocho."

“Oh…ah?”

Zhang Taihua was shocked when he heard this, and Zhao Shixia, who was standing beside him, also turned his attention to Kocho Shinobu. Looking at Kocho Shinobu, who was only a few centimeters taller than him, Zhang Taihua stomped his feet in anger and said:

"You, you're lying! Isn't the legendary Kocho Shinobu a man-eating demon? You don't look like one at all!"

Shinobu Kocho shook her head helplessly and said:

"So it's just a legend. And where did you hear all this nonsense from?"

"It's in the newspaper!" Zhang Taihua said as he handed over a newspaper.

Shinobu Kocho took the newspaper and read it while reciting:

"Shocked, Kocho Shinobu actually did something like this on Loli Island... What the hell is going on?"

In short, after this incident, everyone present knew that Kocho and the others could speak Chinese. Especially Kocho, who inherited the memories of the time traveler, spoke Mandarin more standardly than the locals in Shenzhou, which amazed Zhao Shixia and Zhang Taihua. But while everyone was talking happily, there was one person who was still confused.

“I said…”

Looking at the people present, Fuzugawa Shiya said with dissatisfaction:

"Can't you take care of me who can't speak Chinese?"

As soon as these words came out, regardless of whether they understood them or not, everyone present focused their attention on Fushigawa Shima. The meaning in his eyes was clearly: You are the only one who can't speak Chinese!

Chapter 141: The Chosen Master

"Buzukawa-senpai, as a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps, how can you not know how to speak Chinese?"

While acting as a translator for Fuzugawa Shinobu, Shinobu Kocho said:

"The Demon Slayer Corps of the new era must master multiple languages and develop in all aspects of morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor!"

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