"Upper Rank Two?"
A flicker of confusion passed through Kokushibo's six eyes. He didn't understand why Muzan would grant this female demon the position of Upper Rank Two. In his senses, her aura was strong, but not absurdly so. In fact, she seemed considerably weaker than he had been right after his own transformation. To his current self, this level of power was rather weak.
Does my lord intend to spend centuries cultivating her?
As Kokushibo pondered Muzan's intentions, the new Upper Rank Two spoke.
"Mizuai greets you, my lord, and you, sir."
Muzan grinned and said to Kokushibo, "I know you're curious why I chose Mizuai as Upper Rank Two. How about this? You two have a fight, and you'll understand why."
Kokushibo nodded without refusal. Combat was always the best way to test an opponent's strength. He didn't care about her origins or past; as long as she had sufficient power, he could acknowledge her.
Mizuai also did not refuse. It seemed she was unaware of the level of the being standing before her. Her face showed no sign of alarm; it was as if she didn't see Kokushibo as a threat at all.
Raising an eyebrow, Kokushibo attacked first. In less than the blink of an eye, he closed the distance between them.
"Moon Breathing, First Form: Dark Moon - Evening Palace."
A sword draw faster than the eye could follow easily sliced Mizuai's body in two. Seeing his opponent cut down so effortlessly, Kokushibo was almost in disbelief. Was this the Upper Rank Two in whom Lord Muzan had placed so much hope?
Suddenly, Kokushibo noticed something. The wound he had inflicted was not bleeding red but was instead a faint, ethereal blue. It was as if he had cut through a pool of water. Looking at her expression, he saw not a hint of pain, but rather a mocking sneer.
A rare flash of anger crossed his eyes, and Kokushibo spun around again.
"Moon Breathing, Second Form: Pearl Flowers Moongazing."
Two slashes of crescent-shaped blades appeared, covered in a dense barrage of smaller moon-blades, like a meat grinder.
Splish, splat, splosh.
With the sound of flesh being torn apart, Mizuai's bisected body was reduced to a pile of mangled meat that fell to the ground. But even so, Kokushibo's eyes remained heavy with concentration. Although his demon blade had felt the impact of cutting something solid, it was obvious these wounds were not fatal to a demon. What's more, the pile of glowing blue flesh on the ground was still twitching faintly. His two attacks had clearly not caused significant damage.
His eyes narrowed. Kokushibo prepared to unleash his full power and activate his evolved demon blade. He would show her that he was Muzan's most trusted and powerful subordinate. Even as Upper Rank Two, she owed him a basic level of respect.
However, just as Kokushibo gathered his power, his body suddenly seized up. He then coughed up a mouthful of blood. Staring at the blood he had just coughed up, Kokushibo's eyes were filled with confusion. Why had that just happened to his body?
Could it be…?
Looking up, he saw Mizuai's body, already fully restored, as if his attacks had never landed.
"So that's it," Kokushibo said, wiping the blood from his lips, a look of acknowledgment in his eyes. "If your Blood Demon Art is what I think it is, you might actually pose a threat to Shisho." He stated his name. "Upper Rank One, Kokushibo."
Mizuai smiled faintly. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kokushibo. I am Upper Rank Two, Mizuai."
Seeing his Upper Ranks One and Two acknowledge each other, Muzan's body trembled with excitement. With Kokushibo and Mizuai, he was certain he could leave an indelible, painful memory upon Shisho. If he got the chance, he would not only avenge the sixty years he spent being hunted but would even kill Shisho himself.
"Hahaha… HAHAHAHA!"
His face contorted with glee, and his mad laughter echoed throughout the entire mountain.
Meanwhile, it took Shisho and Tamayo half a month to reach Edo. Since they planned to stay for a while, they decided to buy a house. They paid a craftsman to carve a sign for them.
Iyakubō (The Medical Workshop)
Placing the sign outside, Shisho and Tamayo opened their small clinic. Within a few short days, they had already received many patients. The two of them didn't charge money for their services, only asking for daily necessities and food in return. Coupled with their superb medical skills, any patient they treated, unless afflicted with a terminal illness, was quickly cured.
The only thing that puzzled people was that Tamayo never saw patients in the morning, only making her rounds at night. Despite this, the reputation of Shisho and Tamayo began to spread throughout the area. The common people praised their deeds, and some even wanted to report their good work to the authorities. But neither of them sought fame, so they declined.
And so, Shisho accompanied Tamayo in healing the sick, helping to alleviate the self-reproach in her heart.
One morning, when Shisho opened the door as usual, a large crowd of commoners had already gathered outside. Some were there to thank him for healing their relatives, some were there for a change of medicine, and others had brought food to pay for their previous medical fees. Shisho simply smiled in response to their cheers and praise.
Just then, a somewhat childish voice cried out from the crowd.
"Out of the way! Get out of my way!"
Angry shouts and curses followed, along with the sound of fists meeting flesh. Some of the commoners told Shisho not to worry, that they would handle the troublemaker. Shisho nodded, not wanting to get entangled in such trivial matters.
Just then, a figure broke through the crowd and rushed in front of Shisho. It was a boy, about ten years old, his face still very boyish. He had short black hair and, unusually, pale pink eyelashes. Shisho also noticed many bruises and scars on his body, though he didn't know their origin. Around each of the boy's wrists were two blue tattooed lines, like some kind of mark. Even stranger, he had a pair of sharp canine teeth, making him look somewhat like a vampire from legends.
Shaking his head to clear it, the boy faced Shisho and said, "Are you the doctor everyone's been talking about, Shisho?"
"Before you ask someone's name, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"
Hearing Shisho's words, the boy paused, a look of embarrassment on his face. After clearing his throat twice, he puffed out his chest and said, "Hello, I'm Hakuji."
-------
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