Tanjiro and Kie Kamado took the money.
Then Aoki and Tanjiro set off for the blue spider lily location.
"Please come this way!"
Tanjiro led the way, his voice cheerful. "Please be careful. It's very damp here. The ground is slippery."
Aoki walked steadily.
Tanjiro asked curiously, "Mr. Aomura, why do you want the blue spider lily?"
Aoki thought. "To cure a disease. The blue spider lily is a key ingredient in a medicine."
Being afraid of sunlight was a disease, right?
Tanjiro looked worried. "But the blue spider lily doesn't bloom every year. What if it doesn't bloom this year?"
Aoki said, "It's okay. The disease isn't fatal. If it doesn't bloom this year, I can wait until next year, or the year after. I'll find it someday."
"That's good!"
Tanjiro sighed in relief, then his eyes lit up. "We're here!"
They walked a few steps and came out of the forest. The view opened up.
Bright sunlight shone down, turning the world golden.
Countless flowers bloomed on the ground, competing for beauty. A faint fragrance filled the air. A gentle breeze made the flowers sway.
Tanjiro smiled simply. "Wow, it's beautiful!"
Aoki said, "It is beautiful! The blue spider lily grows here?"
"Please follow me. It's ahead."
Tanjiro found a path.
They walked through the flower field. A small grave appeared.
Tanjiro bowed respectfully, then said to Aoki, "They say a very important ancestor is buried here. Mom brings me here every year to pay respects."
Aoki didn't speak.
He knew whose grave it was: Yoriichi Tsugikuni's wife, an ordinary woman named Uta.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni was truly chosen by fate. He was born with the Mark and the Transparent World. Breathing Styles came naturally to him.
He was as bright as the sun, but he wanted a normal life. He just wanted a wife, children, and a warm home. But that dream didn't come true.
When he was almost ten, Yoriichi left home to avoid taking his brother's place. He met a girl named Uta, and they lived together.
They got married and Uta became pregnant.
When Uta was about to give birth, Yoriichi went to find a midwife. He planned to return before sunset, but he met an old man with a heart condition who wanted to see his son.
His son had been injured in the war and was dying.
Yoriichi took the old man to his son. When he returned home, his wife and unborn child had been killed by a demon.
Fate was cruel to geniuses. That described Yoriichi perfectly.
Tanjiro pointed to some weeds next to the grave. "Mr. Aomura, this is the blue spider lily. It only blooms on the days with the strongest sunlight, and not every year. Mom has brought us here many times, but I'm the only one who has seen it."
Aoki smiled mockingly.
Muzan feared Yoriichi, the only person who had threatened his life in a thousand years.
He avoided everything related to Yoriichi.
But the blue spider lily, which he had chased for a lifetime, grew next to Yoriichi's wife's grave.
Demons feared sunlight.
The blue spider lily only bloomed on the days with the strongest sunlight. There was nothing to block the sun in this area.
The irony was that...
In the original story, Muzan killed Tanjiro's family, passing by the blue spider lily he had chased for a thousand years.
Tanjiro, filled with hatred, joined the Demon Slayer Corps and became the most important force in dragging Muzan to his death.
What irony!
But Muzan was too stupid! Too foolish!
He had a thousand years.
Tokyo was a small place. He should have found it by searching every inch.
The Twelve Kizuki plan was trash.
He should have controlled government leaders and used the mortal world's power to find the blue spider lily.
But Muzan was arrogant and looked down on humans. He didn't think of using human power.
Aoki found a clearing and sat down cross-legged.
"Tanjiro, thank you for bringing me here. Go home now. I can wait here myself."
He had come at the right time.
It was August. The days with the strongest sunlight weren't far away. He wouldn't need to wait long.
"I'll bring you food later," Tanjiro said.
"No need," Aoki shook his head, looking at Tanjiro, smiling. "You've probably noticed, right?"
"What?" Tanjiro paused.
Aoki said calmly, "I'm not human!"
Tanjiro's nose was very sensitive. It was more than just smell. He could sense people's emotions, tell humans from demons, and even smell the lines of weakness after training.
This ability wasn't unique to Tanjiro.
Zenitsu Agatsuma's hearing, Inosuke Hashibira's touch, and his student, Kanao Tsuyuri's vision, were special senses beyond normal perception.
He couldn't hide being a demon from Tanjiro.
Besides, there was no point in hiding it.
Tanjiro didn't look surprised. He said seriously, "Mr. Aomura's smell is different from humans, but I can also smell that you're a good person."
"A good person? It doesn't sound like an insult coming from you."
Aoki smiled and waved. "Anyway, you don't need to bring me food. Go home!"
"I understand. Then I'll take my leave!"
Tanjiro bowed slightly and ran off. He waved to Aoki after leaving the flower field, then entered the forest.
Aoki took out his demon sake gourd, opened it, took a drink, and sighed contentedly.
What other demon could drink sake in the midday sun?
"It would be nice to have a snack with this!"
Aoki thought casually.
He hadn't gotten a single mission, not even a normal one, let alone a reward mission.
That was one reason his leveling was so slow.
Missions were the shortcut to leveling up quickly.
Aoki opened the system and looked at the Missions section.
The Upper Moon's End progress was two-thirds complete.
He just needed to kill one more Upper Moon to complete the most rewarding mission ever.
"If only an Upper Moon would come to me."
Aoki squinted at the clear sky and took another drink.
---
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