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Zhengu wanted to refute something, but after thinking for a while, he chose to give up.
She realized that what she wanted to ask was unlucky. Why did she wonder what Li Mo would think if she died? What would the master think?
But why assume this?
He said half of his words and then said forget it. Isn't this just to keep people on edge? Damn, how can you do such a despicable thing? You've really changed.
After thinking about it, he could only complain in his mind. Who knows, maybe he taught this?
Li Mo thought about it and found a topic: "Makoto, did many of Mr. Urokodaki's disciples fail in the "Final Selection"? "
"Yes. That's what I overheard after I came to Urokodaki-sensei's place. It seems that the staff on the Hakuba side told Urokodaki-sensei that the death rate is a bit high compared to other ikushi."
No wonder Mr. Urokodaki said later that he didn't want Tanjiro to participate in the "final selection". Was it because of too many deaths that made him doubt his teaching level? In fact, it was all because of the hand ghost. Li Mo knew that the ghost was killed by his sword, but for the newcomers participating in the selection, the hand ghost was not something they could handle. The kid, Santo, could handle it when he grew up, but according to the original trajectory, the kid saved too many people, resulting in his strength not being at its peak.
Fortunately, such a future will not happen. Li Mo was worried that the second hand ghost would appear, so he specially slaughtered a lot of people on Tengxi Mountain. If he could find another ghost in the mountain, he would lose.
"Don't worry, things will get better in the future. Yiyong and Santu will definitely pass the "Final Selection". If they can't, I'll pin Santu to the ground and beat him half to death."
Shinkomo said: "Those who fail in the "final selection" will be fed to the ghosts."
"Then teach Yiyong and Xuantu to go down the mountain early. Even if they become 'hidden', it is better than losing their lives." Li Mo said.
Fuji Mountain is surrounded by wisteria flowers that bloom all year round, so there is no danger to life when going down the mountain. The premise is that the person must have the ability to get down the mountain without being chased by ghosts.
Zhen Gu recalled Li Mo's training of Xuantu and Tomioka Giyuu. Apart from the basic wrestling training, he would do some fighting. The rest of the training was just to let them get beaten.
"Yes, that's what Shinkomo thought. If you want to fight, you must first learn to be beaten."
"When facing the great power of a ghost, dodging is the first element." Zhengu has seen the power of ghosts before. There are many tree stumps with rough cuts on Fujixi Mountain. They are all caused by the fists and feet of ghosts.
——A very small number of cases are caused by battles between swordsmen and demons.
How many times can the human body withstand such attacks?
"Makomo, do you know how I defeated the demon without the Nichirin Sword? Forget about the second one, because that one was already crippled by Mr. Beimingyu, and he used poison. For the first one, I fought him head-on and was knocked away several times. I used a special technique to remove the power. As long as you can master this technique, it will be fine."
Recalling his experience that night, Li Mo felt a tightness in his chest. If it weren't for the "force reduction" that directly removed the force, he probably wouldn't have been injured even slightly.
Zhen Gu, under the mask, delivered a fatal blow at this moment: "But you don't know how to teach others."
“Indeed… that’s the case.”
How did I learn to "dissipate energy"? I learned it by sleeping and dreaming. This is how it works for me now, but how long did it take for me in the dream at that time? One day, one month, one year? I don't know!
I just remember that I could do it after I woke up. After I mastered the skills, from this perspective, the system is quite useful.
There is no problem in using it, but teaching people is still a question mark...
After that, there was silence all the way.
Chapter 39: Mansion in the Mountains
"What a coincidence."
The missing person was recorded in a prosperous town. Li Mo looked around and saw a bustling crowd of people coming and going. It seemed to be the central area nearby.
The place where he was sitting now was a ramen restaurant. The small room was full of customers. The chef was standing in front of a large pot with steam rising. His old face had a serious expression as he made ramen with the demeanor of a master.
Focusing his attention on the person opposite him, he saw a passerby. He lowered his head and slurped the ramen. When there was not even a drop of soup left in the bowl, he was satisfied and said, "Master, another bowl, please."
Li Mo knew this man. His name was Masachika Yaeno. He was a swordsman who had gone through the "Final Selection" with him. During the battle with the demon, he was attacked from both sides. He was saved by Li Mo.
"Yes, benefactor. It is indeed a surprise. I didn't expect that we would meet." Kenno Masachika replied stiffly.
"Tell me why you came here. Is your mission the same as ours?" Li Mo asked immediately. He felt Zhen Gu's gaze that was asking questions quickly. "Recently, many people in this town have disappeared on the road. That's why Zhen Gu and I came here."
Masachika Kenno said: "My companions and I came back here because we were tracking a ghost. The ghost was very careful and hid her whereabouts. So we only know that she was heading this way."
After a pause, he could guess what his benefactor was worried about. He acted too familiar with this place, so he explained: "I am originally from this town, so I am very familiar with it."
"Oh?" Li Mo's eyes lit up. This morning, he and Zhen Gu met this person in the town and were communicating very skillfully. He originally thought that the other party had accepted the same mission and came to inquire about intelligence, but he didn't expect it was another mission.
He decisively put forward his request: "Then Kuang Jin, can you help me get some information about the mission?"
It's much easier for locals to ask about these things than for outsiders like me, right? Li Mo really doesn't want to deal with strangers, it's too annoying. When he says social etiquette, he feels hairy, but he wants to be like an ancient Japanese samurai with a proud and arrogant manner... So why not talk about social etiquette?
Ye Kuangjin was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course, benefactor."
It turns out that having a local person is indeed very convenient for finding intelligence. Li Mo was directly taken by Kenno Masachika to meet the mayor. The whole process went very smoothly. The mayor seemed to be vaguely aware of the existence of the Demon Slayer Corps. When he saw Kenno Masachika, he told him everything he knew after a few greetings.
"The general intelligence is as follows. All the missing people are concentrated on this road, so the mayor has forbidden everyone to take that road. If you really want to go in that direction, you have to take another road. So probably as long as you take that road, you will find them."
Later, Kuang Jin directly pointed out to Li Mo which road to take, and told him that this road was a small road over the mountain ridge, and there were no forks. There were not many houses along the way, but there were one or two abandoned halls where you could stay overnight.
"Let's separate for now. I'm going to rest first." After telling himself all the information, Masachika Yoshino resigned and left.
"Kuang Jin, do you need help?" Li Mo asked. If the other party helped him, he should repay him.
Ye Kuangjin shook his head and said, "That ghost is not very strong. He doesn't even have blood ghost magic. He is just good at running away. I can handle it. Benefactor has more important things to do, right?"
Everyone has their own duties, and Masachika Kenno himself is not weak. And according to him, he actually has teammates. Two swordsmen are more than enough to deal with an ordinary ghost.
Li Mo was not too angry about the rejection of his proposal. He pulled Zhen Gu down the road. The road was clean and tidy at first, with few weeds on both sides. It was only at the foot of the mountain that the weeds became more numerous. Going up the mountain, they walked through the forest. The tall trees blocked the sunlight, leaving only some spots of light on the ground. Halfway up the mountain, there was an abandoned auditorium. It was probably used to worship a Bodhisattva, but now only a base was left. There were traces of wood burning inside, and it seemed that a passerby had stayed here overnight.
It was already noon, and the two of them took a break here. Zhengu took out the rice balls and water bottle, which served as lunch.
"Junior brother, where do you think those people disappeared?" Zhen Gu asked.
All the people who disappeared in the town walked on this road. But which part of the road did they disappear on? No one knows. It would be great if we knew. Li Mo pulled Zhen Gu and rushed to the ghost. Unless it was a string-level ghost, most of the others could be killed instantly with one sword.
Li Mo thought about it, shook his head decisively, and offered his own suggestion: "Forget about asking me about this kind of thing. Rest during the day. How about we let the crow fly up at night?"
Crows can see far away at night. Although ghosts are small and difficult to see, what if they find the wrong place? If they can't find it, they can just walk on the road as passers-by. See if the ghost will fall for it. With the average IQ of ghosts, Li Mo doesn't think they won't be fooled.
"Okay." Zhengu nodded and agreed to the suggestion.
"By the way, are plums added to this rice ball?"
"Why? Is it not tasty?"
"No, it's delicious." Li Mo raised his thumb.
The episode passed in a flash. The two began to gather their strength. The ghosts' action time was at night. As swordsmen who killed ghosts, they also had to act at night. Therefore, many swordsmen who killed ghosts had irregular schedules.
As night falls, everything is silent, and the summer cicadas no longer chirp. The world is shrouded in darkness, and the only way to see the world clearly is with the help of the moonlight in the sky. At this time, the black crow takes off in the night, flies up to the sky and observes this from above.
Li Mo was not worried about the safety of the crows, as few ghosts had the ability to fly. Besides, the night was their best protective color, and their intelligence also allowed them to avoid risks.
Watching the crow take off, Li Mo wondered how this crow was bred? It was smart, could talk, and had the IQ of a human teenager.
Sun blade, special uniform, crow. Under what circumstances did these three pieces of equipment appear in the Demon Slayer Corps?
How much effort did the predecessors of the Demon Slayer Corps put in to create the current legacy?
"What are you thinking?"
"Thinking about how to kill ghosts."
"Oh."
Shinkomo is not surprised. It is normal for someone who can become a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps to always think about killing demons. Everyone has a consensus that dead demons are good demons.
The crows came back soon and told what they had seen. At the foot of the mountain not far away, there was a house with bright lights, which looked like a mansion.
Li Mo and Zhen Gu looked at each other and determined that this was what they were looking for. As Kyouno Kuangjin had said, there were not many people living on this road, and the only place to rest was the abandoned auditorium where the two of them were.
Besides, it was strange to see a luxurious mansion in the wilderness. Didn't most wealthy people go to the city? How could it appear in the wilderness?
The two of them went down the mountain decisively, running through the forest shrouded in darkness, heading in the direction pointed by the crow.
Chapter 40: Contact, the end of the ex!
The strange mansion in the deep mountains and old forests could be the stage for a supernatural work. The remote location means there is no chance to ask for help from others, and standing here alone would give people a sense of terror.
"Here we are."
Diving down the hillside was easy for the two of them. One of the trainings they received from Mr. Urokodaki was to rush down the mountain with a knife, and there were traps along the way. But now they just had to look at the trees.
Coming here, you can see clearly that this is a Japanese-style mansion with a two-story attic. At this moment, the door is closed, but the windows in the attic on the second floor are open.
"I think we can go in from the second floor." Li Mo said unconventionally.
“?” Zhen Gu just looked at him, as if asking, are you serious?
"Yes, yes, just pretend I didn't say anything."
Li Mo opened the door and saw a corridor with some pottery jars and other daily necessities. Because there was no light inside, it looked dark and long. Of course, he stepped into the room without letting anyone in. Zhen Gu lagged behind him by half a body, and the corridor was big enough for the two of them to walk side by side.
then……
"Boom..."
As the drums sounded, the room changed instantly. The originally dark space became bright, with lights on. The rough walls became wooden screens, the solid sandy ground became tatami, and the pottery jars and other containers became long wooden tables.
After seeing the creature standing in the room, Li Mo grasped the hilt of the Sun Blade at his waist.
It was a sturdy man over two meters tall, with instruments similar to taiko drums on his shoulders, legs, abdomen and back. Its eyes were blood red and there seemed to be crossed out words in them.
"Xia Liu." Zhen Gu spoke the words of his eyes.
The six lower strings, that's what these two words mean. In this group of demons, the strong ones will be given the title of "string" by the ancestor demon. They are divided into upper strings and lower strings, each with six. The upper strings are several levels stronger than the lower strings. Among the same ranking, the closer to the front, the stronger the strength.
The sixth lowest zodiac sign, the weakest of the zodiac signs. Not to mention... the number in its eyes was crossed out.
"Makomo, he should be the former Lower Six!"
There is no need to adjust your breathing. "Full concentration·Changzhong" is the name of the fixed breathing method. By getting more oxygen, more physical energy and even explosive power can be squeezed out of the body. Li Mo rushed to the front in an instant.
"Boom!"
"I hate this kind of talk. I will definitely return to the Lower Moon!"
The room was reversed. The side where the tatami and the ceiling were turned into a wall. One of the two walls became the ground for feet, and the other became the ceiling. With the influence of gravity, Li Mo, who was rushing forward, fell to one side. But he quickly adjusted his posture and looked at the former Lower Six.
"Boom!"
It slapped the drum on its belly. The sound of breaking air appeared in its ears. With its sharp vision, it saw that the air in front of the other party was distorted, forming a claw-like mark.
Li Mo and Zhen Gu both dodged the air, and the places where they were hit by the attack formed beast scratches - and there were only three toes.
The drum on the right shoulder is for turning the room right, and the drum in the middle is for air clawing. So the left shoulder is for turning left. If I remember correctly, the drum on his back is for changing rooms, so by analogy, the drums on the left and right thighs, do they turn forward and backward or up and down?
Human spatial perception can be simply divided into six directions: up and down, left and right, front and back. It can be referred to as the six directions. The opponent's six drums can correspond to the six directions. But the drum on the abdomen is a claw mark when it is slapped, so according to the symmetry of moving away, the drum on the back is spatial movement.