At the very moment the blue jelly giant was annihilated by the Librarian, a great distance away, Sui-Lan's face suddenly changed. Her chest heaved as if something was rampaging inside her body.
Though Sui-Lan tried her best to suppress it, Muzan and Kokushibo noticed her distress.
"What's wrong with her?" Kokushibo's brow furrowed. Although his six eyes held a question, he made no move to check on her. Ever since their brief exchange, he had acknowledged her strength but felt no fondness for her.
As the Progenitor of Demons, Muzan could naturally sense much more. A flash of anger crossed his crimson eyes, and he roared, "Sui-Lan, you acted on your own and attacked the Librarian!"
Hearing this, Kokushibo was slightly taken aback. He had never even considered disobeying a command from Muzan. As a demon converted from a samurai, he held the hierarchy in high regard and would never overstep his bounds. But Sui-Lan was different. Her sense of self was strong, so such an action seemed within the realm of possibility.
Realizing her secret mission had been discovered, a pleading look flashed in Sui-Lan's eyes. She was about to say something but could no longer hold back the urge. Her throat convulsed, and she sprayed a mouthful of blood directly at Muzan.
If Muzan hadn't reacted in time, the blood would have drenched him head to toe. But he dodged, and the unfortunate Kokushibo, standing beside him, took the full blast to his face. He was covered in the foul-smelling, clotted blood.
Before Kokushibo could react, Muzan's eyes glinted, and he pointed a finger at Sui-Lan. Already weakened, Sui-Lan's body went rigid, and she began to convulse on the ground as if having a seizure. A strangled cry escaped her lips, her eyes rolled back, and white foam gushed from her mouth.
At that moment, her cells were continuously rupturing, subjecting her to an agony she had never known. To punish her, Muzan had used one of his abilities as the Progenitor of Demons. As terrible as it looked, this was Muzan showing mercy. If he wished, he could have ended Sui-Lan's life in an instant.
"My lord, I'm sorry! Please, give me another chance!" After enduring the punishment for some time, Sui-Lan grit her teeth and begged for mercy. "I will never make the same mistake again."
With an icy gaze, Muzan kicked her squarely in the abdomen, cursing her as he continued to stomp on her. After a while, he snapped his fingers, releasing her from the punishment.
Freed from her personal hell, Sui-Lan collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. She never wanted to experience that cellular-level pain again. A flicker of terror towards Muzan crossed her eyes as she rolled over and pressed her forehead to the floor.
"Tell me everything you just did," Muzan commanded.
Trembling, Sui-Lan recounted the events from beginning to end. As Muzan listened, his expression shifted from irritation to anger, then to extreme agitation, and finally, a murderous glint appeared in his eyes. Sui-Lan kept her head pressed to the floor, her body trembling uncontrollably, not daring to speak. All she could hope for now was that Muzan would spare her life, seeing that she was still useful.
"That clone you lost... how much of your strength did it represent? How long will it take to recover?"
Hearing Muzan's question, Sui-Lan's face paled again. She was afraid to tell the truth, fearing another punishment. When she hesitated, Muzan slammed his foot onto her head.
"Speak!"
Feeling Muzan's terrifying, almost cannibalistic aura, Sui-Lan finally stammered out the truth. The clone she had sent out contained about thirty percent of her total power, but it had been completely annihilated by the Librarian, with none of it recovered. Furthermore, due to the nature of her Blood Demon Art, the Sun Breathing attack had also inflicted residual damage on her main body, increasing her losses.
Roughly calculating, it would take at least three years to return to her full strength. And that was assuming she could feed on a large number of humans to ensure sufficient nutrition. To recover slowly in this town, right under the Librarian's nose... she might not recover even in ten years.
Upon hearing this, Muzan nearly fainted from rage. If not for the usefulness of her abilities and the fact that he had spent a century carefully creating her, he would have killed her on the spot.
Forcibly suppressing his anger, Muzan turned to consult with Kokushibo. After some discussion, they revised their plan. Muzan and Sui-Lan would leave, while Kokushibo would remain in the town to cause as much trouble for the Librarian as possible in their absence. To facilitate Kokushibo's mission, Muzan even gave him permission to turn select humans into demons.
With that settled, Muzan and Sui-Lan left the town under the cover of night. They planned to head to sparsely populated, remote villages to allow Sui-Lan to feed and recover as quickly as possible. Left behind, Kokushibo's six eyes glinted, his thoughts a mystery.
Back in the town, by the time the Librarian returned, the fireworks festival was over. Following Tamayo's directions, he saw Hakuji slowly walking back to the Soryu Dojo, carrying Koyuki on his back. The sweating boy and the sleeping girl looked so harmonious under the moonlight. Hakuji's face was slightly flushed, whether from exertion or from the girl on his back, it was hard to tell. A faint smile played on Koyuki's lips, perhaps from the memory of the fireworks, or perhaps because of the boy carrying her.
The Librarian and Tamayo followed a short distance behind, returning to the dojo. Since the Librarian had already spoken to Keizo, he didn't scold Hakuji. Instead, he thanked him profusely for making his daughter so happy. Watching Keizo praise Hakuji, the Librarian couldn't help but feel it looked like a father-in-law approving of his son-in-law. A small smile touched his lips as he went into his room.
After tonight's events, Muzan and his group would likely lay low for a while. But man's plans are no match for fate. The Librarian's assessment was correct, but only concerning the demons. The Soryu Dojo had attracted the attention of more than just Muzan's faction.
For a week after the fireworks festival, the Librarian and the others enjoyed a period of peace. Then, one morning, after Keizo had left, some unwelcome guests appeared at the dojo's gate. From their attire and appearance, they were from a neighboring swordsmanship dojo.
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