Living in Hunter x Hunter

Chapter 451 A Special Ghost? Chapter 451 Receiving a Mission

Qingping Village, which used to be a village, could now perhaps be called a town.

This village only fully developed five years ago because the transportation between the two places was improved and the mountain road was repaired, making it easier for people to pass through.

For some traveling businesspeople, this can save a lot of travel time.

With Qingping Village nearby, people would often choose to rest and recuperate there, and over time, the village gradually developed.

Originally locals, many foreign merchants started doing business here.

Only the twelve Pillars arrived at the village; the other Demon Slayer Corps members waited for news outside the town.

They entered the town either alone or in pairs.

Rengoku Makijuro was acting alone. After arriving in this town, he had been observing the surrounding environment.

Do ghosts really exist here?

At first, he didn't know the specifics of the situation here, but after arriving, Rengoku Makijuro immediately became suspicious.

Because a lot of wisteria flowers are planted in Qingping Town, and in addition, a lot of wisteria flowers are also planted in the mountains near the town.

Wisteria is nowadays so popular that wherever there are people, there will definitely be someone planting it.

You can even judge the probability of ghosts appearing in a place by the amount of wisteria flowers there.

In areas with few wisteria flowers, the likelihood of ghosts appearing increases significantly.

With so many wisteria flowers, even ghosts would be affected.

Ghosts hate wisteria flowers; once they grow in abundance, they become a "poisonous circle" for ghosts.

Their fragrance and pollen alone could kill them.

Otherwise, why couldn't the demons in the mountain escape from the Fujikasane specially created by the Demon Slayer Corps?

Of course, it's because of the fear of death. If it weren't for the fear of death, even if it was uncomfortable and disgusting, they would definitely want to leave Fujikasane Mountain.

It's understandable that Rengoku Makijuro would have doubts about this situation.

There are also reports of out-of-town merchants and tourists disappearing from this area.

Rengoku Makijuro also noticed another anomaly: despite numerous disappearances, why was the place so bustling with activity?

Rengoku Makijuro also saw many children running and playing games in the streets, laughing.

It's hard to imagine that there could be ghosts in such a peaceful place.

Rengoku Makijuro began to inquire about news from this place.

More detailed information requires on-site investigation.

If possible, Rengoku Makijuro actually hoped that there were no ghosts here, because if there really were, it would give him an even more terrifying feeling.

Fortunately, there are enough outsiders in this small town that Zhu's behavior will not arouse suspicion, and since it is daytime now, there is no possibility that any ghosts will try to deceive them.

Unless one possesses special abilities, and unless verified by sunlight and wisteria flowers, it is difficult to detect the difference if a ghost stands in front of him, unless he actively reveals himself.

Evening soon arrived, and the hour of twilight came.

The Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps discovered something unusual again. The village was still very lively, and of course, the children had all gone home.

It's rather special.

Leaving aside the fact that Kyoto has been taken over by yokai, in large cities like Tokyo, with the appearance of oni and yokai, people now generally choose to stay home and close their doors during the Twilight Festival.

Avoid going out if possible, unless it's a special area with special forces guarding and protecting it.

But shouldn't Qingping Town not be included in this example?

Thinking about some information he had gathered in the village, Rengoku Makijuro had even worse suspicions.

He recalled some things his younger brother had discussed with him.

"Brother, do you think there are ghosts that don't eat people?"

When he first heard this question, Rengoku Makijuro naturally assumed it was impossible, since he had never seen such a demon in his family's history, including when he first joined the Demon Slayer Corps.

Then Lucci asked another question.

"Is it possible for ghosts to selectively eat people?"

Rengoku Makijuro replied, "How could a demon possibly remain rational and not eat people?"

Some fixed perceptions are naturally accumulated through experience over time.

Perhaps some people have enough rationality to resist when they first become ghosts, but as time goes by, desire will break their rationality.

Once they start eating people, they can no longer resist the temptation.

Nezuko and Tamayo are both extremely rare.

As time goes by, many ghosts forget their past and eventually become cannibalistic monsters.

Even when faced with someone who can maintain their sanity at first, the Demon Slayer Corps' experience tells them that it's best to kill them to avoid causing a greater tragedy later.

Rengoku Makijuro speculated that the demons here might possess such "rationality".

According to what he had heard, there were certain rules here, and if you didn't follow them, you might die.

It's not a strict rule; you just need to avoid doing anything illegal or criminal in this town.

It was only after hearing this news that Rengoku Makijuro realized that the village was indeed in excellent order.

This is also an important factor in business development.

So the ghost here might possess such rationality, and it's even possible that someone in this town knows of the ghost's existence.

There are so many wisteria flowers, so the ghosts here are from the Twelve Ghost Months, so they won't be affected by them.

Too much of it is just speculation.

When night fell, Zhudu returned to their agreed meeting place to discuss the matter.

They had all gathered quite a bit of information.

Firstly, there are special medicinal herbs in a nearby mountain, which has attracted many people, and there are also missing persons in the mountain.

Besides that, the opening of the mountain road did not seem to be the work of Qingping Village.

The Mingzhu has already conducted an on-site inspection; it's not something that can be opened up by human effort in a short time.

Based on the numerous pieces of information gathered, it's clear that these pillars aren't fools.

A result was quickly obtained.

This town has developed into what it is today thanks to the help of ghosts.

Do ghosts help humans?

This was something the Demon Slayer Corps had never anticipated. Even someone as experienced as Rinryu Sakonji couldn't comprehend the current situation.

Now that it's nighttime, it doesn't seem difficult to lure the ghost out.

Because all it takes is to commit crimes in this small town to lure them out; to put it bluntly, it's a sting operation.

However, the pillars did not act immediately, but instead reported the information to their lord first.

Whether due to a curse or their union with a Shinto priest family, the Ubuyashiki clan sometimes sees glimpses of the "future."

It can provide better guidance for their actions.

After resting for a night, they started inquiring again, and this time the search area was no longer limited to the town.

There are also mountains and forests outside the town.

The other party might possess Blood Demon Arts with spatial abilities, so they might not be staying in the town, but in an unknown space.

Kyoto in shadow.

Tamayo settled into a stable life, a rare period where she could find peace of mind.

Of course, the biggest change is that she can eat regular food now and no longer has to worry about food.

Although she doesn't eat people, she still needs human blood before she can become a monster.

At the same time, I was surprised to discover that the yokai living in the shadowy Kyoto, if not for their different appearances, mostly lived lives similar to humans.

There are even some that are raised in the shadows of Kyoto.

Even in the shadowy city of Kyoto, only at night does the moon hang in the sky, its waxing and waning a constant reminder of the changing seasons.

She also gained the ability to enter and leave the shadowy Tokyo.

The monsters didn't restrict her at all; she could come and go as she pleased, and she even got to know some of them.

This place was a rare opportunity for her to feel at home.

Of course, her life soon returned to normal as she worked as a doctor in Kyoto. After all, even in Shadow Kyoto, money was required; yes, Shadow Kyoto still used human currency.

At first, Tamayo was extremely shocked.

It seems that the monsters here are simply living a simple life?

No grand goals? But Tamayo always felt it wasn't that simple, yet she couldn't quite figure it out.

She is at least relatively satisfied with her current life.

Of course, she would not forget her long-cherished goal, which was to kill Muzan.

Even though Muzan has become extremely powerful, she won't give up, and she herself has become much stronger, hasn't she?

Tamayo's research continues, and this time she will also be adding a study on wisteria flowers.

However, she had only just purchased the research equipment.

Then a monster came knocking on the door.

She was the Rain Woman, and of course Tamayo also knew her name: Kishi Junko.

"If you join our ranks, you must obey any orders from your master. Come on, let's go on a mission."

Junko Kishi's tone was much better than when they first met.

However, his face still showed his dislike for Tamayo.

"A mission? What kind of mission?" Tamayo knew that joining this place wouldn't be easy.

"I know what you're thinking. No one would be so heartless. Only a monster transformed from the Killing Stone would have an important mission." Kishi Junko seemed to have seen through Tamayo's thoughts.

Kishi Junko is considered an old monster in Kyoto, and Tamayo's thoughts and situation are not the first.

Every yokai who is given the Killing Stone by an adult is initially suspicious and paranoid.

The weak yokai living in Kyoto, even if they have any missions, are just trivial matters.

The only ones who really need to get things done are those powerful monsters.

Tamayo left the shadowy Kyoto with the Rain Woman.

Then they started talking about their mission.

"The adults probably didn't tell you, but you should know quite a bit about what we were like before, and what our relationship was with ghosts."

Tamayo did indeed learn quite a bit about the situation.

Most of the yokai in Kyoto are animals that have turned into monsters, but some are actually human beings who have died. To be precise, they are the ghosts of people who have died.

Tamayo initially doubted the existence of ghosts, but considering that even yokai had appeared, it didn't seem surprising.

Of course, she was heartbroken when she first found out, because she thought of her family.

Besides her, there are others who, like her, transformed from ghosts into monsters, but their numbers are less than ten.

As for their attitude towards ghosts, it was neither good nor bad.

The first point is that the cat demon and the oni seem to be in cooperation.

According to a yokai who had followed Tamayo for a long time, the Sesshōseki (Kage-sama) had been given to some demons.

As for the effects of the Killing Stone, I myself am an example; it makes demons stronger.

Without the Nekomata-sama's personal intervention, the demons who obtain the Sessho-seki will not become demons.

As for the purpose, some monsters don't care, but the clever ones have figured it out by now. It might be related to the "master" behind the adult.

However, Master Moying has never said that he has any cooperative relationship with ghosts.

It depends on the individual's attitude.

Basically, they are divided into two categories: animal-type monsters, which they completely disregard.

They don't see cannibalism as a problem, since humans also eat animals, right?

However, adults need order, and monsters are not allowed to eat people, unless they are the kind of people you hate.

As for monsters that are transformed from human ghosts, needless to say, they are all, without exception, annoying ghosts.

After all, some monsters are eaten by ghosts and die.

Tamayo also understands why Ameonna Kishi Junko dislikes her.

After all, she's a nuisance.

"The Demon Slayer Corps has already discovered one of the Twelve Demon Moons, and our goal is to retrieve the Sessho-seki (Killing Stone) from that demon's body."

Junko Kishi explained their mission simply and clearly.

The Twelve Ghost Months!

Tamayo lived for a long time, but unfortunately, combat strength wasn't her strong suit. Not to mention going up against the Twelve Demon Moons, most demons with powerful Blood Demon Arts could easily defeat her.

But if she wants to research a potion that turns people into humans, she needs the blood of the Twelve Demon Moons.

Based on various pieces of information, Tamayo speculated that Muzan's increased strength was likely related to the "Sesshoseki" (Killing Stone).

Does the Twelve Demon Moons also have a Killing Stone?

In either case, it would be beneficial for me to conduct research. Then I thought about the task assignment. Was I sent on a mission because I wanted to conduct research?

But before that.

Tamayo was still somewhat worried: "With the Demon Slayer Corps around, are we the only ones capable of retrieving the Sesshō-seki?"

This is what Tamayo is worried about, and she will deliberately try to understand the situation of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Having witnessed cases like Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Tamayo had wondered if there might be other beings like him.

If it exists, she will risk her life to meet it and then tell it her information.

If we were to encounter Muzan, at least we wouldn't give him another chance to escape.

Therefore, she had learned about the Demon Slayer Corps' situation, and her Blood Demon Art was also well-suited for gathering intelligence.

The Demon Slayer Corps currently has twelve Pillars.

Regardless of its strength, the sheer number of them is enough to show that they are extraordinary.

While she didn't experience the initial formation of the Demon Slayer Corps, Tamayo had never seen so many Pillars exist simultaneously before.

Even in the "future" I've seen, there weren't this many.

Is this the original "future"? Or is it a "future" that has already changed?

Regardless of which one it is, this seems to be an opportunity to see for oneself.

"Don't worry, we were the ones who leaked the information about the Twelve Demon Moons to them. At least for now, we're cooperating with the Demon Slayer Corps, and the Demon Slayer Corps isn't stronger than us," the Rain Woman said confidently.