Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

Chapter 152 Punishment

There's a new guy at Kyogokuya.

It's not a big deal. This is Hanamachi, and this is Kyogokuya, so it's not even a small matter that would attract anyone's attention.

After all, Red Street is a place like this. Some girls will come, either being sold here by someone, or coming here on their own accord; and some girls will leave, either successfully redeeming themselves and leaving, or dying somewhere unknown.

This is the norm in Flower Street, there is an unknown darkness even in the daytime.

A very suitable place for ghosts.

The only difference was that Lin Guang felt that the girl was a little different. It was hard to say what was different. The girl was very beautiful and gentle. She was the girl the store manager was willing to buy. She also looked like a girl who could make money for the store. Such girls were not uncommon in Hua Street. After all, beautiful girls could sell for more money and get more money for the store, so beautiful girls would often choose more popular stores, hoping to make more money.

But Lin Guang felt that this girl was a little different.

-

"you like her?"

Daki asked softly, while Rinkou, who was dressed as a girl, sat quietly and shook his head.

"I don't like it."

The voice was very soft, and the already childish voice sounded more like a girl's after being deliberately softened.

"So you don't like it?"

Daki asked him.

"Not at all."

Lin Guang shook her head. This time, Daki was silent for a moment, as if she was thinking, and then she spoke again.

"Are you hungry, then?"

This time, Lin Guang did not simply shake his head. He raised his head and looked at Daki. The oiran who was dignified and elegant in front of others looked more like a child than he did when facing him alone. Her head was tilted, and her eyes were wide open with curiosity, which made her even more confused when he looked at her.

Kifutaro once mentioned to Rinkou in private that Dakimaki was not very smart, but Rinkou never took it to heart. One reason was that Kifutaro's attitude towards everyone was not good, and in his eyes everyone was a fool. The other reason was that he did not think Dakimaki was that stupid. At least when Dakimaki tried to dress him up, she was very skilled, and until now no one noticed that the girl next to the oiran Warabihime was actually a boy.

But now, he realized that Jifutaro was telling the truth.

Because he had no idea why after the topic of likes and dislikes, the next topic would be that he was hungry. Not to mention that it had been a long time since he expressed hunger and appetite, how did these two topics connect to this?

"Isn't it?"

Daki got the answer from Rinko's face, and her head tilted to the other side.

"Then why do you keep looking at her?"

The topic returned to the main track. Lin Guang withdrew his gaze and looked elsewhere, recalling the scene when he saw that woman. She had a good figure, a beautiful face, and even a good voice. However, at first glance, the attitude reflected in her eyes was not like that of an ordinary girl at all.

It seems more like the members of the Demon Slayer Corps. Only those who have undergone long-term training and experienced life and death can achieve such results.

"I think she's a little different. The last time I saw someone like this was when I was going to work with Douma."

Lin Guang gave her own answer, and Daki also tried to recall the memory of the woman in her mind, but after searching for a long time, she only felt that the woman was somewhat pretty and suitable to be her dinner, nothing more.

"Besides, I always feel like... I seem to have seen her somewhere..."

Lin Guang whispered softly, but this sentence was not noticed by Daki. He just sighed softly and put it out of his mind. After all, he has never been good at remembering people, and as time goes by, this thing becomes more and more difficult for him.

Maybe it's the aftereffect of having been with Douma. After all, his brain isn't working very well.

But whether the other party is a member of the Demon Slayer Corps or not actually doesn’t matter to him. After all, he has no interest in killing people, let alone eating people.

Maybe Daki would be happy about this. If the other party is really a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, she would be very happy. And if the disappearance or death of this woman could attract more members of the Demon Slayer Corps or even a pillar-level Demon Slayer swordsman, that would be the best news.

But for Rinkou, he was not sure whether this could be called good news. Whether the other party was a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, whether they would attract more people or call a certain pillar, none of these mattered to him. The only difference was the pillar that came. If it was just any pillar, it wouldn't matter, but if it was a pillar he knew, that would be another matter. If it was Kyojuro, he himself didn't know what he would do.

Complex questions swirled in his head, questions without answers, as noisy as ravens circling over a battlefield, jumping around until he annoyedly drove them out of his territory.

He didn't want to think about those things, so he just closed his eyes, leaned against the wall, and used the simplest method to clear his mind.

And what emerged from the darkness was an image from the past, a punishment.

-

Rinkou has almost never received any punishment. Muzan has always been tolerant towards him, to a degree that other ghosts cannot imagine or understand. He can sense this favoritism everywhere, so when the punishment comes, he is not prepared.

But maybe Muzan just wanted to teach him a lesson this way.

To this day, Rinko still clearly remembers that meeting, which happened shortly after Tamayo left. After he returned, he thought for a long time about whether this matter should be concealed or told. He let Tamayo go, which was undoubtedly a mistake, and he should tell Muzan.

So he did so. The man didn't seem very surprised by his arrival. He just paused when he heard him say Tamayo's name. The test tube in his hand was easily crushed, and the fragments exploded. The red liquid inside sprayed on the ground. It smelled like blood, but no one knew whose blood it was.

"You saw her, but let her go, Lingguang, you shouldn't have made such a decision on your own."

Muzan's tone was flat, and the calmness without any ripples made Rinkou unsure of the other person's true mood.

He was still confused when the hand fell on his head. Ghosts who did wrong must be punished. Wouldn't Muzan give him a punishment?

The man touched his head, unsure of what to say. As he considered the matter, the hand left, and a bone spur pierced his body. This time, it was steady and relentless, much more painful than the one that had pierced his neck before. He could feel his bones being pushed, shifting, and then breaking under the strain, the bone spur piercing his body. More thorns coiled around him, one by one, slowly and inexorably cutting into his flesh. Blood dripped onto the ground. Every bone in his arms, legs, and waist shifted.

"You shouldn't make decisions on your own."

There was no anger in Muzan's voice, but the erect pupils in his eyes undoubtedly symbolized his rage, and every thorn that was firmly embedded in his flesh and blood also showed this.

Muzan was angry, very angry, much angrier than he had ever been before.

Rinkou was just confused about the source of his anger. Was it because he made the decision on his own or because he let Tamayo go? It sounded like the same problem, but he thought there was a difference. Thinking about the problem allowed him to endure this long punishment.

Rinko doesn't like pain, but he thinks no one would like pain either. He just dislikes it even more. Muzan knows that, so he does it on purpose.

It's a punishment after all.

Maybe it was because of the constant stabbing pain, or maybe it was because a thorn had pierced his head, Lin Guang couldn't tell. After all, it hurt everywhere. He only knew that his thoughts became confused and he couldn't even think completely.

"Rinko, I have always been very tolerant of you, so don't let me down again."

As his body fell to the ground, Lin Guang's ears barely caught these words. So, did his actions disappoint Muzan? The pain brought by hearing this sentence seemed to be far greater than everything he had just endured.