The next day, during the day, on the snow-covered streets of late winter, Oboro, dressed as a samurai, walked along.
The gazes of the surrounding pedestrians were filled with awe and fear.
In the late Edo period, although the prestige of samurai was not as great as during the peak of the Shogunate, they were still respected by ordinary people.
Samurai here were equivalent to nobility.
Moreover, Oboro's status was not simple. He lived alone in such a large mansion, not just because he was a samurai, but also because he was a minister in the magistrate's office, a high-ranking official with considerable power.
Some passing samurai would also bow respectfully when they saw Oboro.
Among them were some 'Doshin' from the magistrate's office, who were responsible for maintaining public order, equivalent to police officers in later times.
This place... was Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
And the place he was in was the Entertainment District.
A famous place of pleasure, flowers, wine, and moonlight.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Oboro wore no sword and had no attendants, only leaning on a cane and wearing a heavy haori.
Every so often, he had to stop and rest. The cold wind mixed with the air entered his lungs, making his face even paler.
"This body... is truly..."
Oboro shook his head.
Then, he looked up at the low, thin wooden houses around him.
The Entertainment District was famous in the world of Demon Slayer for a reason: it was the setting for a major plot point.
That was the scene where Tanjiro, along with Tengen, defeated Daki and his sister.
Oboro personally felt that this part of the story was quite brilliant, at least as depicted in the anime.
"Master..."
At this moment, a crack in the wooden house in front of him was slightly pushed open. A scantily clad woman, deliberately exposing her shoulder, hesitated for a long time before casting a flirtatious glance at him with timid eyes.
The implication was obvious.
Oboro smiled faintly at her.
And continued to walk forward.
If it were him from Hunter x Hunter, he probably wouldn't have even glanced at her, and might have scared the woman away with just a look.
But after experiencing the previous world, especially when leaving Hunter x Hunter, reflecting on the past made Oboro understand something... His past self was too tense, always fearful and preoccupied with the pursuit of power. In fact, he hadn't truly 'appreciated' or 'toured' the world of Hunter x Hunter. Because of power, he had given up on too much...
Power was important, of course, but the scenery along the way shouldn't be ignored either.
It was better to... relax a bit.
Seeing him walk away, the woman looked regretful. She could tell this master had a gentle personality, and if she could win his favor... perhaps...
"How truly pathetic."
After wandering for a while, Oboro couldn't help but sigh.
The lowest level of the Entertainment District was essentially a slum.
In this cold weather of the twelfth lunar month, most people here lived in simple, small wooden houses... with very little warmth.
Most people wore only thin hemp clothes, and many children were barefoot, walking on the snow... It was rare to see richly dressed people. So when he appeared here, just the style and attire of his clothes made people hesitate and dare not approach.
The samurai who came to this place were mostly retainers of wealthy households, and some were ronin.
Although samurai were respected, their reputation had declined significantly, and they were divided into different ranks.
Truly wealthy and capable people would go to the real entertainment district to amuse themselves, not to this place.
"Completely different era and setting, the feeling... is truly worlds apart from Hunter x Hunter."
Oboro stopped his steps, looking at a drunken man in front of him selling his daughter to a heavily made-up madam. No matter how much the daughter cried and begged, the father was unmoved, instead hurrying away with the money.
He didn't even look back.
The madam glanced at Oboro and quickly bowed, smiling obsequiously.
Then, she went from house to house, leading away several girls.
The decadent atmosphere of the Entertainment District was thick, even 'infecting' many places. At the same time, it proved that the Edo period was drawing to a close, the times were in decline, and the Shogunate was nearing its end.
This corner of the slum occupied a vast area. With Oboro's current physical condition, in this weather, he could only walk a few streets at most; he couldn't possibly explore it all.
He had only come out for a stroll, and to understand this world.
After a while, when he reached the fork at the end of the street, several sedan chair bearers had been waiting for a long time.
Four people, one sedan chair.
This type of sedan chair was square and very narrow, mostly used by nobles, and could only accommodate one person.
Speaking of which, the background of this world was similar to Earth's, completely different from Hunter x Hunter.
"Heh heh..."
Oboro smiled again.
The benefit of transmigration was that no matter which world you went to, you would subconsciously compare the two.
The sedan chair bearers lowered the sedan chair, respectfully awaiting Oboro to step in.
However, Oboro paused, turned his head, and looked at a boy a few meters away who had been following him for a long time...
The boy was also barefoot, with messy hair. Seeing him look, the boy fearfully dodved his gaze. He had followed Oboro for a long time, wanting to step forward several times, but ultimately retreated.
These people living at the bottom of society, even children, were very observant.
Oboro beckoned to the boy.
The boy timidly approached.
"What's your name?"
Oboro asked.
"Replying to Master... my name is... Zekawa."
The boy swallowed.
"Do you know... if there's a family named Kibutsuji here?"
The boy shook his head.
Oboro didn't ask further. He took out a piece of paper money from his sleeve and handed it over.
The boy's eyes lit up, he took it, nodded repeatedly in thanks.
Oboro noticed some adults from the lower strata nearby looking at this scene with greedy eyes... He patted Zekawa's head, and his originally gentle tone suddenly changed, turning cold: "Innocence is a crime when one possesses treasure... You need money, but more importantly, you need to protect it."
"I'll be back. I hope you're still alive then..."
With that, Oboro got into the sedan chair.
The four sedan chair bearers shouted in unison and gradually moved away.
The boy, clutching the money tightly in his hand, bowed deeply to the receding sedan chair.
Then, looking at the adults who were constantly approaching, the boy gritted his teeth and ran away.
...
"Cough, cough, cough..."
In the sedan chair, Oboro couldn't help but cough again.
He was too weak.
He was a complete invalid...
He tried it, but he didn't dare to practice martial arts or exercise. Because his current physical foundation was too poor, any slight exertion... could endanger his life.
Oboro was a little annoyed.
There were many sickly characters in Demon Slayer, including Muzan and Rui. He hadn't expected to join their ranks now.
"It's no use dragging this on with my soul... I can't confirm if that brother and sister have been born yet, and who knows when Doma, the Upper Rank Six, will appear. I should become a demon first... I also want to try. Let alone breaking free from the sun with the Blue Spider Lily, just with my current soul, can I resist Muzan's blood... curse? Muzan."
Oboro chuckled.
Even though his soul was currently weakened to a very low level, Oboro wanted to test how strong Muzan's will was.
Since this was a low-level world... if there was no fun, he would create his own fun.
After becoming a demon, he couldn't defy Muzan's will, nor could he speak his name, or he would be detected.
Oboro was very interested in this restriction.
He wanted to see if Muzan's blood could control him.
He could also gauge how strong Muzan's will was...
In Hunter x Hunter, he had encountered so many diverse strong individuals. Those who could become top-tier Nen users all had outstanding wills.
So... how would Muzan in this world compare?
Oboro mused.
He was only interested in testing the limits of Muzan's will.
____________________
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