After a period of busy work, Tamayo finally managed to calm the man down. By then, her face was filled with exhaustion. After the diagnosis, she used a sedative to make the man fall asleep, and then bound him with chains as a precaution.
Once all this was done, Tamayo led Fang Hao and the others to the examination room, which was temporarily being used as a reception area.
"Um, is that woman alright, Miss Tamayo?" Tanjiro asked worriedly. In his opinion, the woman's injury was directly related to him; if it weren't for him, she wouldn't have been hurt.
"She's fine. You acted very quickly. She only suffered some superficial wounds and will be fine after a period of rest." At this, Tamayo paused, "However, as for that man..."
"What happened to that man?" Tanjiro, sensing Tamayo's hesitation, quickly pressed for an answer.
"It's very difficult for him to turn back into a human, isn't it?" Although Tamayo had seen many such cases over the years, this feeling of powerlessness still pained her. "I can't turn him back into a human either. I can only try to reduce his suffering."
Fang Hao had no reaction to hearing that Tamayo couldn't turn a demon back into a human at the moment. He already knew this; otherwise, why would the original story have Tanjiro collect the blood of the Twelve Kizuki?
Tanjiro's eyes flashed with a mix of loss, disappointment, and determination—a classic pie chart of emotions. His top priority was still to turn Nezuko back into a human; she was his only remaining family. Tamayo was the most skilled doctor he had ever met, but if even she couldn't do it...
However, Tanjiro was Tanjiro after all, and he had long been prepared for these things. Whether it was turning Nezuko back into a human or slaying Muzan, he was determined to achieve it.
As for Nezuko, after hearing Tamayo's words, well, it's hard to say if she heard them. In any case, she remained in her usual state, or perhaps even more active than usual, rolling around on the floor nearby, having a great time.
"Ugh, this is too cute, Nezuko. Zenitsu, you're truly despicable." Watching Nezuko being so adorable, Fang Hao chose to curse Zenitsu internally. It wasn't that Fang Hao had any particular thoughts about Nezuko; it was simply like seeing someone beautiful get married online—one usually curses her husband without thinking.
After his resolve was further strengthened, Tanjiro hesitated for a moment, then still asked the question: "Miss Tamayo, doesn't it pain you to treat humans' injuries?"
When he asked this question, Tanjiro's expression was sorrowful. He was an empathetic person. Although he couldn't fully understand Tamayo's pain, he could feel it.
"Your expression clearly shows you know it's painful, so why are you still asking?" Fang Hao rolled his eyes, muttering to himself. He really didn't know what Tanjiro was doing, just poking at a sore spot. Was the Head Pillar just trying to show off his stubbornness?
Tanjiro's question was indeed a sensitive topic in the clinic. As soon as he spoke, it hit a raw nerve. Before Tamayo could even speak, Yushiro, who was standing by, exploded, his defenses breached.
Striking in anger, a hand chop landed directly on Tanjiro's abdomen. Tanjiro felt his stomach churn, almost spitting out bile.
"Watch your words in front of Lady Tamayo!"
Yushiro's face was grim: "Of course it's painful! We are also demons! In this regard, we are no different from the man-eating demons outside. It's just that we can always endure our hunger! Every time we treat someone, we suffer far more than the patient!"
As mentioned earlier, demons can eat animal flesh, but human flesh has an incomparable allure for them. Humans hold an indescribable temptation for demons, a feeling even stronger than the urge a long-starved human feels upon seeing food.
In this aspect, Tamayo and Yushiro were no different from other demons; in fact, it was even harder for them to endure. Their patients were too close to them and defenseless against them, and their clinic was sufficiently discreet. For them, every treatment was nothing short of a battle, fighting against their body's instincts.
"Yes, it is indeed a struggle. However, this body has undergone many modifications, and it has also broken free from Muzan's control, making it much better than ordinary demons."
Tamayo said calmly, "Yushiro has it easier than I do. He is a demon I created, and fundamentally different from other demons."
"There's no smell of a lie." Tanjiro's nose told him the answer, and he believed Tamayo's words without a doubt.
But Fang Hao was skeptical of this. Not that he didn't believe Tamayo, but rather that this struggle should be far from as easy as Tamayo made it sound. She might not be lying, because she might genuinely believe what she said, but that doesn't negate the struggle she endured, oh, and the struggle Yushiro endured.
"Huh!" Tanjiro suddenly came to his senses, "Miss Tamayo created him!" Tamayo's words greatly surprised Tanjiro; he couldn't believe that such a gentle person would actively create demons.
"Yes, but please don't misunderstand. I don't wish to increase the number of demons. It's simply out of compassion that I ask those who are terminally ill and on the verge of death: Even if you must abandon your human body, are you willing to live on like this?"
"However, very few people agree. And, in these two hundred years, I have only succeeded once, and only Yushiro was a success."
The success rate is so low! No wonder Yushiro respects Tamayo so much, well, respects her to the point of wanting to be a rebellious disciple. In fact, from a biological perspective, Tamayo should be Yushiro's... *hiss*! Fang Hao took a sharp breath, making a negligible contribution to global warming.
But Tanjiro's focus was completely different from Fang Hao's. "Two, two hundred years!"
Tanjiro exclaimed in surprise, "Then, Miss Tamayo, how old are you exactly?"
A vein throbbed on Yushiro's forehead, "Don't ask such rude questions to a lady!"
Another hand chop, but this time Fang Hao caught it. "He just got hit. At least let him recover a bit."
Fang Hao held Yushiro's wrist and retorted, "And what you just said was pretty rude, too. Young women wouldn't care about that question, would they?"
"Ha! Are you saying I didn't consider Lady Tamayo's feelings?!" More and more veins bulged on Yushiro's forehead, as if his head was about to be taken over by them.
"Um, you two, please don't argue, Fang Jun. He's still a child."
Hearing Tanjiro say that, Fang Hao almost couldn't keep a straight face. Not because Tanjiro called Yushiro a several-hundred-year-old child, but because isn't that usually something a parent says? Tanjiro, what kind of feelings did you have when you said that?
"Don't look down on me! I'm much older than you!" Yushiro said irritably.
No, usually, it's children who say that.
"I don't mind what you two are saying. But are you going to use violence in a place meant for healing the sick?"
Tamayo said with a smile, "That's not good."
Fang Hao immediately released Yushiro's hand. In the blink of an eye, the three of them sat upright in the examination room, as if nothing had happened before.
However, Fang Hao still secretly grumbled to himself, "She's squinting, yet she says she doesn't mind. When Tanjiro got hit earlier, you didn't say anything. So you do mind your age, after all! And you were born at least four hundred years ago, so what's the point of caring about those two hundred years?"