Demon Slayer: The Second God Who Walks the Earth

Just as Chiba Yo was pondering, a voice rang out, and Sayo appeared before them with two wisteria sachets, handing them to them with sincere eyes.

"Okay, thank you." Chiba Yang smiled and accepted the sachet, because he already knew from the situation that Sayo wouldn't accept money, but he had other ideas.

"This...is this for me?" Zenitsu's heart pounded as he looked at Sayo, who was handing him the sachet. His face turned slightly red. This was the first time he had ever received a gift from a girl.

"Yes, please accept it," Shadai said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zenitsu excitedly accepted the sachet. After receiving it, Zenitsu jumped up with joy, spun around in the air several times, and shouted loudly.

"I'm so happy! I'm so happy! Yay!"

Passersby were frightened and moved away from the area.

A child saw Zenitsu jumping around and pointed at him curiously, asking his mother, "Mom, why can this older brother jump so high?"

"Because he's a monkey, kid, look at his yellow hair."

Chapter 77 An astonishing coincidence

Zenitsu's actions startled Sayo, who cautiously took a half-step back.

"I'm sorry, that's just his personality." Chiba Yo smiled helplessly and apologized to Sayo.

"It's alright." Shadai smiled and shook his head, indicating that he didn't mind.

Then Chiba Yo looked at the small ornaments hanging on the outside of the Sadai cloth bag and said to her, "These ornaments of yours are quite pretty, I'll buy some."

Chiba Yang guessed that the little girl gave him the wisteria sachet because she wanted to protect people from being attacked by ghosts. Although he didn't quite understand why she refused to accept money, the other ornaments weren't anything special, so it was unlikely that she wouldn't accept money for these either.

She looked so poor yet sensible, and so kind-hearted, that Chiba Yo wanted to help her as much as possible.

"Okay, which one do you like?" Sayo asked, holding her cloth bag up to Chiba Yo and showing him the ornaments on it.

“If you don’t like these, I have some more,” Shadai said, pointing to the ornaments displayed on the stall behind him.

Although she insisted on atoning for her sins by giving away wisteria sachets to passersby, she still needed to go about her daily life, and she was naturally happy if someone was willing to buy what she made.

Chiba Yo pretended to look at all the different styles of jewelry, then waved his hand and said, "I like all of these, I'll take them all!"

"Hey!" Shadai exclaimed in surprise when she heard his words. Although she didn't have many accessories, they still amounted to quite a few, and many of them were the same style.

She immediately realized that this person was doing this out of pity for her, and was about to refuse when she heard Chiba Yo continue with a slightly bitter tone, "I'm often disliked because I'm not very good at talking. When I saw these beautiful ornaments you made, I thought I could buy them and give them to my friends so they wouldn't dislike me anymore..."

Chiba Yo knew that this little girl was stubborn and strong-willed. If he bought all her jewelry directly, she might not accept it because she felt that he was just pitying her. Therefore, he told a little lie and brought himself into Giyuu's shoes to make up a story.

Right now, Yi Yong is walking on the road

Suddenly, without warning, he sneezed and rubbed his nose expressionlessly.

Someone must be talking about me... Looks like I'm not disliked after all...

Thinking of this, Yi Yong felt much happier, and his steps became lighter.

Back on this side, Sayo saw Chiba Yo's bitter expression and believed what he said, but still asked with some confusion, "But even so, you don't need to buy them all, do you? There will definitely be a lot of leftovers."

Upon hearing this, Chiba Yo's expression became even more dejected, and he was on the verge of tears.

"I have offended many people because I don't know how to speak properly, and I am disliked by many people. I want to make up for my past behavior."

"So you'll definitely be able to give away all these trinkets, you don't need to worry," Chiba Yo said to the little girl.

"Is that so... then okay."

Chiba Yo's superb acting skills completely convinced Sayo that he was a person who was disliked because he couldn't speak properly, and she nodded in agreement to Chiba Yo's request.

"Thank you. Giving these to them will definitely improve my relationship with them."

Chiba Yo smiled, raised his head slightly, and seemed lost in reverie.

To be honest, there were quite a few flaws in his acting. The main one was that he didn't seem like someone who couldn't talk to others at all, but because his expressions were so good, Sadai even overlooked this.

If it were Giyu Tomioka himself, it would be the exact opposite. He really wouldn't talk to anyone, but at the same time, he would be expressionless, looking completely unconcerned, not like someone disliked him.

It's hard to say which of the two is more trustworthy.

Seeing Chiba Yo's appearance, Sayo became even more convinced of his words. She wrapped up all the ornaments hanging on her cloth bag and the items displayed on her stall and handed them to Chiba Yo, then quoted him a price.

Chiba Yo didn't pay more than the agreed price and paid her the money as Sayo had said.

"Goodbye!" After paying, Chiba Yo waved to Sayo with a smile, and Sayo also said goodbye to him.

Chiba Yo then turned around and pulled Zenitsu to leave. Sayo, who had bought all the accessories, did not go back, but stayed there to give away wisteria flower sachets to passersby.

"Zenitsu, stop grinning like an idiot and lead the way. I don't know which way to go in Momoyama."

Looking at Zenitsu, who was still grinning foolishly while holding the sachet given to him by Sadai, Chiba Yo patted him on the shoulder and said helplessly.

"Huh? Oh, okay."

After being called by Chiba Yo, Zenitsu emerged from his own world, carefully put away the wisteria sachet, and led the way. At this moment, he finally returned to normal.

After taking a few steps, Zenitsu thought about what happened last night and turned to Chiba Yang with some confusion, asking, "Yang, why did you keep asking that old man about that temple and the blind monk last night?"

Behind the two, Sadao, who was handing out wisteria sachets to passersby, suddenly trembled.

"You know Mr. Jimeijima, the Rock Pillar, right?" Chiba Yo asked Zenitsu upon hearing this.

"You mean that big guy who's always crying?" Zenitsu had spent so many days at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters that he had naturally met the Stone Pillar.

Chiba Yo nodded upon hearing this and said, "That's right. Mr. Himejima told me about his experience before. What he told me is basically the same as the story about that temple that the old man told me last night."

Mr. Beiming Island fought evil spirits until dawn to protect the children he had adopted in the temple, but was accused of being the murderer. From then on, he became completely disillusioned with children and became suspicious.

After hearing what that old man said last night, I was thinking about whether I could find a way to help Mr. Beimingyu resolve his inner conflict.

Zenitsu was somewhat shocked after hearing what Chiba Yo said.

"What a coincidence! And Mr. Beimingjima is so pitiful."

"I never expected it to be such a coincidence..."

Chiba Yo was also amazed by the coincidence. He never expected that the place where he was carrying out the mission would be Mr. Himejima's hometown, and it just so happened to be the temple where he had lived.

Just then, Chiba Yo suddenly felt a hand grab his clothes. He turned around with a slight puzzlement and found that it was Sayo, who had just given him the wisteria sachet. She was now crying and trembling all over, looking like she was in great pain.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Chiba Yang asked anxiously when he saw her appearance, feeling a little confused himself, since she had been perfectly fine just a moment ago.

Even under the transparent world, Chiba Yo didn't notice anything wrong with Sayo's body.

Sayo did not answer Chiba Yo's question. At this moment, she was in great distress, especially after hearing what Chiba Yo said about the current situation on Himejima Island.

After struggling internally for a moment, she still asked Chiba Yo, "Do you... know Mr. Himejima...?"

Chapter 78 Atonement

Sayo's words startled Chiba Yo.

"You also know Mr. Himejima?" Chiba Yo asked.

Considering her previous actions, Chiba Yo guessed that she might have been saved from the clutches of a demon by Gyomei.

"I...can we talk somewhere else?" Shadai asked Chiba Yang nervously.

From what Chiba Yo had just said, she was now almost certain that the Mr. Himejima he was referring to was Himejima Gyomei, the man who had taken her in before.

Sadai was one of the two children who survived in that temple. She hid by Gyomei's side and was protected by him for a night, but because she was too scared after what happened that night, she mistakenly identified Gyomei as the murderer.

"That person is a monster... Everyone was killed by that person..."

In the cramped temple, four-year-old Saday huddled in a corner, shivering.

The temple, stained with blood and filled with corpses, made her cover her eyes with her hands, too afraid to look away, unaware that the evil spirit had already turned to ashes in the sunlight.

The monster she was referring to was the evil spirit that killed the children in the temple. However, the people who arrived mistakenly believed that it was Xingming who did it, since Xingming was the only person left in the temple besides her, and his hands were covered in blood.

Xingming was taken away by the people, and Shadai, who had been frightened all night, fell into a deep sleep after saying those words.

Although she woke up after a while, she was still mentally unstable for several days due to the shock she experienced that day.

During this time, she was taken in by a kind elderly couple and they took her away from there.

After her mental state improved, she learned that Xingming had been imprisoned and was to be executed because of her identification. However, by this time, the time for Xingming's execution had passed, which meant that Xingming was likely already dead.

As a young girl, she suffered another heavy blow. Xingming took them in when they were homeless and took good care of them. In that temple, they felt unprecedented warmth and happiness. Almost all the children loved and respected him from the bottom of their hearts, including Shadai.

However, she can now be said to be the murderer of her benefactor. Even if it was not her intention, this incident did happen because of her, and before this incident, Xingming had risked his life to protect her and fought with evil spirits for a whole night.

After receiving this news, her mental state deteriorated again. Every night she would have nightmares about what happened that night, about her tragically killed companions, about Xingming fighting with evil spirits, about Xingming looking at her with eyes full of disappointment, and about being executed on the execution ground. She also dreamed that her dead companions would blame her together.

During that time, she was in a daze all day long, but the elderly couple did not abandon her because of her mental state. They treated her like their own daughter and granddaughter and even took her to see a doctor.

This made her feel even more guilty and distressed, and she lived in constant anxiety.

Her pain was only relieved after she received the news that Xingming had not been executed but had disappeared in prison. Although she was still extremely guilty and in pain, she began to live a normal life and somewhat anxiously hoped that one day she could apologize to Xingming.

After the elderly couple passed away, she used all the money they had left her to bury them properly, and then, at only ten years old, she returned to her hometown alone.

On one hand, she hopes to meet Xingming and apologize to him; on the other hand, she also hopes to help others and atone for her past sins.

Knowing that evil spirits truly exist, she used the skills she learned from the elderly couple to sew wisteria sachets and give them to people, hoping to protect them from attacks by evil spirits.

Each wisteria sachet she gave away made her feel a little better; she dared not accept money, for that would not bring her any redemption.

Six months after returning here, she finally mustered up the courage to go back to the temple, but she didn't dare to go in; she just knelt outside for a long time.

Every six months thereafter, she would kneel in front of the temple on the mountain for a period of time, both to atone for her sins and to try her luck in meeting Xingming, as well as to pray to the gods and Buddhas to bless Xingming with a peaceful life.

Today, she finally heard news of Xingming, and her feelings were extremely complicated.

Surprise, fear, anxiety, guilt, pain...

She didn't know what the final outcome would be, but after hearing Chiba Yo say that Gyomei had become suspicious and completely disappointed in children because of that incident, she knew that if she couldn't explain things clearly to Gyomei, she would never be redeemed, would spend her life in regret, would never be able to sleep peacefully, and would be constantly haunted by nightmares.

Although she was determined to find Xingming and tell him everything, Shadai also had some selfish motives. She didn't want her neighbors to know about it. She had felt warmth here again, and she was afraid of losing it again. At nearly thirteen years old, she had already personally experienced losing it twice.

"Sure, you can suggest where we can talk."

Chiba Yo agreed, thinking that Sayo must have been saved by Gyomei before and now wanted to express her gratitude to him.

Chiba Yo thought this was a good thing; perhaps if Gyomei received more of these kinds of thanks, he could gradually get rid of his prejudice against the children.

"Thank you... Please come with me..."

Sayo wiped away her tears and spoke to Chiba Yang, then emptied the wisteria sachet from her bag and placed it on her stall before walking into a small alley.

Chiba Yo followed, but Zenitsu did not. Although he liked cute girls, he knew his limits. Seeing Sayo's reaction, he knew that the two must be talking about something important, and he didn't want to disturb them.

So he decided to stay here and watch the stall for Sayo. However, Chiba Yo had bought everything on the stall, leaving only the wisteria sachet that Sayo had just taken out of her cloth bag.

On the other side, Chiba Yo followed Sayo all the way to the end of the alley, and then followed her into a small house. Although the house was rather simple, it was very clean.

On the table were some needlework tools and an unfinished wisteria sachet.

After inviting Chiba Yu to sit down, Sayo's emotions were still not calmed down. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "Mr. Himejima... how are you doing now?"

Chiba Yo nodded upon hearing this and replied, "You should know about the existence of demons, right? Mr. Himejima is still fighting against demons to protect people from their harm."

"Is that so..." Shadai lowered her head and moved her hands nervously. After learning this news, she felt even more afraid to face Xingming.

After a while, she finally mustered the courage to ask Chiba Yo, "Excuse me, may I see Mr. Himejima? I...I want to...apologize to him..."

Chapter 79 Sales Failure

"Apologize?" Shadai's words were somewhat unexpected by Chiba Yo.

"Why did you apologize to Mr. Himejima?" Chiba Yo asked, puzzled.

"I'm the one who got Mr. Beimingyu imprisoned..."

Shadai's voice trembled, with a hint of sobbing.

She struggled internally for a long time after hearing this, but finally mustered up the courage to say it. After saying those words, she felt much relieved.

"I'm the little girl he protected all night... who ultimately accused him of murder..."

Chiba Yang was shocked after hearing Sayo's two sentences, but he didn't say anything. Sayo looked very guilty, which meant she wasn't a bad person. Chiba Yang wanted to hear what she had to say.

"But what I was referring to was the evil spirit that attacked everyone... The others thought I was talking about Mr. Himejima... I was so scared that I didn't dare open my eyes to see what was happening, and then I fainted..."

Shadai began to explain, then her voice lowered again.

"But even so, it was still my fault that Mr. Beimingyu was thrown into jail... To be treated like this by the child he risked his life to protect... He must be in a lot of pain, and it's only natural that he would be disappointed..."