The Demon in the Carpenter’s Shop

Chapter 65

Chu Yang was still considering whether to pretend to be a customer buying oden, then use the opportunity to greet Tanjuro so he would not grow suspicious.

Then a peculiar stench in the air interrupted Chu Yang’s thoughts.

He followed the smell and looked across the street, toward a carpenter’s shop.

The little boy beside Tanjuro seemed to have caught the scent as well. His face twisted in disgust and revulsion, but he was too young to understand what that smell meant.

After some thought, Chu Yang decided to deal with the demon hiding in the carpenter’s shop before going to find Tanjuro.

"Ah, I remember now. Before we left, Nezuko told me she wanted a toy. Tanjiro, how about we go buy your sister a toy?" After unloading all the charcoal, Tanjuro coughed a few times, then bent down to discuss it with the little boy.

"Okay! Let’s buy Nezuko a toy." Young Tanjiro’s face lit up with excitement.

The toys Tanjuro meant were actually cheap little wooden trinkets, and the carpenter’s shop across from them sold them.

But today, the carpenter’s shop, which should have opened long ago, still had its doors tightly shut. Tanjuro planned to knock. If the owner was home, he would ask them to sell him a few toys.

With Tanjuro’s personality, if he had not promised Nezuko before leaving, he would never have wanted to trouble anyone.

Father and son held hands as they headed toward the carpenter’s shop.

Little Tanjiro excitedly tugged his father’s hand and skipped along the road.

"Be careful, Tanjiro." Tanjuro lowered his head and gently reminded his son, completely unaware that a tall figure had blocked his path ahead.

"This shop is closed. Come back next time."

Hearing the voice, Tanjuro looked up and saw Chu Yang standing between them and the carpenter’s shop. Tanjuro frowned slightly, but still explained politely, "Sorry, but I urgently need to have some things made. If the owner is inconvenienced in any way, I will apologize."

After speaking, Tanjuro followed the principle of avoiding unnecessary trouble.

Holding his son’s hand, he walked around Chu Yang and continued toward the carpenter’s shop.

Chu Yang sighed. When an honest man became stubborn, he really was hard to deal with. He followed after them.

Having practiced Hinokami Kagura, also known as Sun Breathing, for years, Tanjuro’s five senses were far sharper than those of ordinary people despite his serious illness. He sensed Chu Yang following behind him, and a trace of concern flashed through his eyes.

From the young man’s presence, Tanjuro could tell that he was no ordinary person. Tanjuro knew his own physical condition well. If the other man meant harm and a fight broke out, he would not be able to bear the consequences, regardless of whether he won or lost.

Tanjuro unconsciously quickened his pace, hoping to buy some toys from the carpenter’s shop and leave as soon as possible.

Little Tanjiro sensed the anxiety in his father’s heart. He stopped fooling around and nervously kept pace with him.

He did not know why his father was so flustered. Was it because of the big brother behind them?

But that big brother did not seem like a bad person, because he did not smell bad at all…

Before he realized it, Tanjuro had reached the carpenter’s shop. He reached out to knock on the door.

Suddenly, a powerful hand seized his wrist.

"Sir, don’t go too far!" Tanjuro glared angrily, still hesitating over whether to make a move.

Chu Yang did something that surprised Tanjuro. He placed his index finger against his lips, signaling for Tanjuro to stay quiet.

Tanjuro froze. The other man did not look like he was here to cause trouble.

At that moment, little Tanjiro’s face filled with terror. He anxiously tugged his father’s hand and pointed at the carpenter’s shop. "Father, there is a smell of blood inside. So much blood…"

Tanjuro’s expression changed abruptly. He knew exactly how exceptional Tanjiro’s sense of smell was; there was no way he could be wrong. That meant there truly was a great deal of blood inside the shop.

Combined with the fact that the carpenter’s shop, which should have opened long ago, remained silent, Tanjuro instantly realized that the owner might already have been killed.

The question was, how had this young man known?

Tanjuro looked at Chu Yang with a face full of confusion.

Chu Yang leaned close and whispered a single word into his ear. Tanjuro looked at him in shock and uncertainty. He had always believed such creatures existed only in legends.

Demons!

"Don’t you believe me?" Chu Yang had already anticipated Tanjuro’s reaction. He placed a hand on the door and said softly, "That demon is right behind it…"

Tanjuro hurriedly pulled his son back. Though he did not fully believe it, he still felt a lingering fear.

"As long as you stand in the sunlight, you’ll be fine." Chu Yang grabbed the handle, preparing to open the door. The reason he had come to this town was to eliminate this demon.

A demon daring to linger in town during the day was simply courting death. Demons should be like rats in the street, hiding in dark sewers.

"Wait." Tanjuro asked nervously, "If it really is a demon, what are you going to do?"

"What am I going to do?" Chu Yang chuckled. "Kill it, of course. I’m a Demon Slayer."

"A Demon Slayer?" Tanjuro suddenly remembered some of the legends about Demon Slayers his parents had told him when he was young. It seemed that his family also had some kind of connection to Demon Slayers.

Hinokami Kagura…

Tanjuro instinctively thought of the special art passed down through his family.

Little Tanjiro tilted his head. He could not really understand what his father and the big brother were talking about.

But he could sense that the big brother seemed about to do something dangerous.

"If you’re scared, leave now. Once I’ve dealt with this demon, I’ll come visit you." Chu Yang gave Tanjuro one final warning to leave.

But Tanjuro asked, "Will we really be safe as long as we stand in the sunlight?"

Chu Yang felt that this man seemed determined to confirm the existence of demons. Without saying anything more, he violently tore open the front door, drawing the attention of the nearby vendors.

"Hey! Why are you wrecking someone else’s shop?! Tanjuro, stop that guy!" The oden seller across the street shouted sharply.

Tanjuro did not do as the oden seller said.

Instead, after Chu Yang tore open the door, he quickly took Tanjiro farther back.

Chu Yang entered the dim shop alone.

It was pitch-black inside, without the slightest hint of light. Outside, dusk had already fallen, and the fading light could not illuminate the interior of the carpenter’s shop.

"Seriously, what are you all doing?!" Seeing Chu Yang destroy the door and boldly walk inside, the oden seller angrily marched over.

"Stay here. Don’t get any closer!" Tanjuro anxiously grabbed the oden seller’s clothes, afraid that he would recklessly barge inside.

"What’s wrong with you today, Tanjuro? You’re nothing like your usual self!" The oden seller looked at Tanjuro in surprise, suddenly feeling an indescribable sense of unfamiliarity. Frowning, he shook off Tanjuro’s hand and stubbornly continued toward the carpenter’s shop.