As he walked toward the main gate, Si Shu had already formulated a plan. He knew very well that for a child of eight, getting out would be somewhat difficult. The area around the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters was patrolled twenty-four hours a day, and those patrols were the biggest obstacle to his departure.
But Si Shu had already figured out their shift rotation schedule completely. In three minutes, they would change shifts, and there would be a thirty-second window.
Hiding in a corner, Si Shu's eyes darted back and forth, carefully watching the movements of the patrol.
Three minutes passed quietly. The time for the shift change had arrived. One team temporarily relaxed its guard and headed toward the rest area. Another team set out from the rest area, preparing to take the previous team's position.
Realizing his opportunity had come, the hidden Si Shu exploded from the corner. His body was like a bolt of lightning, an unbridled wild horse charging for the outside.
Total Concentration Breathing!
His blood flow accelerated, his muscles tightened instantly, and his physical abilities surged. Silently channeling Total Concentration, everything around him seemed to rush backward as he sped away.
Swoosh—
In the blink of an eye, Si Shu had rushed out, disappearing over the distant horizon. By then, the new shift had only just taken up their positions.
"Strange... did someone just run out?" "What are you talking about? That was just a gust of wind." The corps member who spoke second lightly tapped his companion on the head with a helpless look on his face. The first guard laughed, and the matter was forgotten.
Having burst through the main gate, Si Shu ran freely across the land, heading toward his destination.
After running a considerable distance, he finally slowed his pace. He observed his surroundings and let out a small sigh of relief. He was already a good distance from the Demon Slayer headquarters; there shouldn't be any more patrols here. After confirming his position and correcting his bearings, he continued northwest.
He ate when he was hungry and slept when he was tired. Throughout his journey, he didn't waste a single moment. Even when resting or sleeping, he continued to practice his breathing. Finally, after five days of travel, Si Shu found himself very close to his destination.
Not far ahead, a small town appeared. He would pass through the town to get to the forest.
"I'll rest in the town for a bit," he decided, "and gather some information about the demon."
Upon entering, Si Shu quickly discovered that the town's atmosphere was off. Many shops were closed even though it was broad daylight. Even the shops that were open had very few customers. For a town that made its living selling woodcrafts, this was a bad sign. The reason was obvious.
There can be only one truth! The presence of the demon in the forest has already affected this town.
Walking up to a shop, Si Shu leaned in and listened.
"Boss, where have all the young men in town gone?" "Sigh... I won't hide it from you. They've all disappeared in the forest to the northwest of town." The shopkeeper sighed heavily, his brow filled with sorrow.
From the shopkeeper's words, Si Shu pieced together the general story. A while back, for some unknown reason, the men who went deep into the forest to chop wood began to disappear, one by one. Not long ago, someone had even come to investigate the matter, but they too vanished after entering the forest. The townspeople had organized search parties, but all they found were pools of blood and shredded clothing.
After finishing with the customer, the shopkeeper's voice grew even fainter. The impact on the town was immense, affecting even the residents' daily lives. After the disappearances, very few people were willing to go into the forest to cut trees. Even those who did would only work on the outskirts, and only during the day. Some even whispered that deep in the forest, a demon would snatch people and eat them. The missing men, they said, had been killed and eaten by that demon.
Hearing this, Si Shu had a good grasp of the situation. The only thing that puzzled him was why the demon hadn't expanded its territory into the town itself. Compared to the forest, the supply of "food" in the town was far more plentiful.
Leaning against the side of a building, Si Shu mulled over the information.
"Is it unwilling to come out, or is it unable to?"
Various hypotheses formed in his mind, but he dismissed them all. Rubbing his growling stomach, he realized he was getting hungry. He walked up to a noodle shop and glanced at the menu.
"Boss, one bowl of wide noodles, please."
"Oh? A little one? All by yourself?" the noodle shop owner asked, finding it strange that an eight-year-old was out eating alone. The backpack and wooden sword by his side made it even more peculiar.
Sensing the owner's confusion, Si Shu recited the excuse he had prepared long ago.
"I'm role-playing."
The owner laughed, and most of his doubts were dispelled. After all, no matter how strange it seemed, what kind of trouble could an eight-year-old possibly get into?
While eating his noodles, Si Shu struck up a conversation with the owner, trying to get more information about the demon.
"Mister, about those recent rumors... do you think they're true?"
Hearing this, the owner's expression immediately darkened.
"I believe them," he said grimly. "One of my own nephews was part of a logging crew. He disappeared in that forest, too. I've heard the demon in there is like a tree spirit, able to control vines and branches."
After sharing what he had heard, the shopkeeper sighed deeply. "But, even if I say all this, you probably won't believe me."
"No, I believe you."
Having eaten his fill, Si Shu put the money for the meal on the table and shouldered his backpack and sword again.
"Maybe it really is a tree spirit demon," he said, leaving a cryptic remark before he walked out. He left the noodle shop owner standing there, scratching his head in confusion.
Leaving the shop, a faint smile appeared on Si Shu's face. He now had a rough idea of the demon he was facing. He went around the town and bought some necessary supplies for demon hunting. By the time he had everything prepared, the sun had already sunk below the horizon. Watching his shadow stretch longer and longer on the ground, Si Shu knew the demons would soon be active.
Nighttime was the time of the demons.
Standing at the edge of the forest, Si Shu stretched his slightly stiff body. Just as he was considering which direction to enter from, a faint roar reached his ears.
Looking in the direction of the sound, Si Shu realized it was coming from deep within the forest.
"Could it be that someone is already in there?"
A bad feeling crept into his heart. He immediately dashed into the forest, following the sound.