When stepping out of the boundary marker of Fujikasane Mountain, the system panel flashed before Uchiha Bing’s eyes.
[Influence Value Updated]
[Evil Ghosts Slain: +1370]
[Plot Line Altered: Survival rate of the Final Selection significantly increased, +50]
[Fame Emerging: “The Phantom of the Demon Slayer Corps” spreads among survivors, +30]
[Current Influence Value: 1450]
Uchiha Bing calmly glanced over the lines of data and casually closed the panel.
He had roughly figured out the core rules of the Influence Value.
Rewards were not solely obtained by slaying evil ghosts; saving people, altering established tragedies, and accumulating personal fame—as long as it impacted the operational trajectory of this world, it could all be converted into solid Influence Value.
Without stopping his steps, he spent two hours finding a suitable cultivation place for himself.
A small stream, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only a single path leading in.
He meditated on a rock by the stream, letting Water Breathing circulate through his body over and over, feeling the speed of blood flow with every inhalation and the degree of muscle relaxation with every exhalation.
Total Concentration: Constant meant turning the Breathing Style into an instinct; instinct required no brain involvement and was an automatic bodily reaction.
Over the past few days, he had repeatedly adjusted his breathing rhythm with the intention of engraving the frequency of Water Breathing into his muscle memory.
The ores had been taken away by members of the Demon Slayer Corps, and the nichirin blade would be delivered in two weeks.
Before the arrival of the nichirin blade, he could study Water Breathing wholeheartedly.
The Kasugai Crow had been hovering nearby on standby; this crow was very smart and didn’t even need its master to bother feeding it.
Seven days later.
After extreme, day-and-night hardships of cultivation, he had already touched the threshold of Total Concentration: Constant.
At this moment, his body had already transformed; his internal organs had adapted to the rhythm of Water Breathing, his five senses had been enhanced several times over, and the surrounding sounds of wind, water currents, and insects all clearly entered his ears.
His physical stamina recovery speed and explosive physical strength far exceeded those of ordinary swordsmen.
Just as he was preparing to completely break through the threshold and stabilize the state of Total Concentration: Constant, a crisp crow’s cry suddenly shattered the silence of the mountain forest.
“Uchiha Bing, there is a mission.
The trace of an evil ghost has been discovered in Asakusa Town, Tokyo Prefecture.”
The two weeks hadn’t arrived yet, and a mission came before he even got his exclusive nichirin blade?
Uchiha Bing frowned slightly, but his movements were not delayed in the slightest.
He nimbly put on the Demon Slayer Corps uniform and hung the previously used nichirin blade at his waist.
He looked up at the Kasugai Crow: “Lead the way.”
The Kasugai Crow flapped its wings in response, passing through layers of tree crowns and flying swiftly toward the north. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Asakusa Town was located in the northeastern direction of Tokyo Prefecture.
Uchiha Bing advanced at full speed, passing through several small towns along the way without stopping.
The Kasugai Crow flew ahead, occasionally landing on his shoulders to rest, but most of the time it squatted on the treetops waiting for him.
By dusk, he finally walked into the market streets of Asakusa Town.
This was his first time stepping into a prosperous town of the Taishō era since crossing over.
The scene before him was far more vibrant and lively than he had imagined.
Both sides of the street were hung with red and white traditional lanterns, and a warm yellow halo covered the bluestone slab road.
Rickshaws shuttled back and forth, the soft sounds of wheels grinding over the stone slabs and the crisp bell rings interwoven endlessly.
Shops lined the streets, with wooden clogs, round fans, and magnificent kimono fabrics dazzling the eyes.
At the street corner, an oden stall was boiling with a bubbling sound, and billowing white steam carrying fresh fragrance scattered in all directions.
Youths in suits and leather shoes brushed past women dressed in gorgeous kimonos, and young children holding colorful pinwheels chased and played.
Crisp laughter and vendors’ hawking cries interwoven into a magnificent scene of mortal life.
Filled with a bustling mortal atmosphere everywhere, it carried a retro charm unique to the Taishō era.
Uchiha Bing’s gaze flickered slightly, and a momentary distraction flashed through his mind.
The Taishō era corresponded to the Republic of China period in his previous life, and the island nation in 1913 would ignite the flames of war in a few years.
With his strength, perhaps he could do something.
But in a flash, he suppressed this rash thought.
The top priority was to slay the Demon King Muzan and completely clear this world.
Interfering rashly in the general trend of the era before that would only trigger uncontrollable chain reactions, and by then the plot would collapse, the losses outweighing the gains.
He reined in his distractions and strode through the crowd.
Under the blessing of Total Concentration Breathing, his perception had long far surpassed ordinary people.
The noise in the market street completely turned into background noise that could be filtered at will.
His gaze calmly swept over every passerby, instinctively examining everyone’s gait, aura, and expression, precisely discerning anomalies.
Within five steps, anyone whose behavior was abnormal or whose aura was disordered could not escape his perception.
The setting sun completely sank below the horizon, the night curtain shrouded the world, and the street lamps lit up one by one.
The Kasugai Crow landed on Uchiha Bing’s shoulder, tilting its head slightly toward the gloomy alley ahead to signal.
“The evil ghost is in the alley ahead.”
The alley was between two main streets, with a very narrow entrance and gables of wooden houses on both sides.
The light from the lanterns shone in from the alley entrance, casting a small warm yellow halo on the ground, while the depths of the alley were even deeper darkness.
Uchiha Bing stood at the alley entrance and smelled that rotting corpse stench, the same as the one smelled on Fujikasane Mountain.
His footsteps echoed between the narrow walls; the alley became narrower the further he walked, the moonlight overhead became dimmer, and the smell of the ghost in the air grew heavier.
Then he heard a woman’s voice, very soft, as if talking to herself or singing.
The voice was very sweet, carrying the gentleness of a mature elder sister.
“…Save me…”
At the end of the alley, in the darkness, something was smiling at him.
That was a woman.
She was curled up in the corner of the wall, her kimono disheveled, and long hair covering half of her face.
The exposed half of her face was very young, and her skin emitted a white-jade-like luster under the moonlight.
Her eyes were very large, as if wearing colored contact lenses by default, and her pupils were an abnormal dark red.
There was no fear in her gaze, but her face was filled with helplessness.
“Someone has finally come.”
The woman’s voice was cloyingly sweet, carrying the unique tender and soft gentleness of a mature older sister.
“I drank too much and can’t walk.
The alley here is too dark, and I’m so scared…
Can you take me home?”
Uchiha Bing stopped seven steps away, remaining silent and not moving a single fraction of an inch.
The woman slowly extended her slender palm toward him, her long fingers paired with light red nail polish, looking exceptionally pretty under the moonlight.
Her palm trembled slightly, her lips quivered, presenting a look of panic, helplessness, and utter isolation.
“Please…
I’ve been here alone for a long time, and no one has come to save me.
It’s so great that you’re here.”
Uchiha Bing did not move; Total Concentration: Constant magnified all his senses, and the smell on this woman was so pungent it made him want to sneeze.
The woman tilted her head, as if puzzled as to why he still hadn’t come over.
Then the corners of her mouth curved slightly—very slightly.
If Uchiha Bing hadn’t been staring at her face all along, he wouldn’t have noticed at all.
“Are you not coming over?” she asked.
Uchiha Bing did not speak, his backhand tightening its grip on the nichirin blade.