Musashi's reaction momentarily stunned the Mirage; it had originally intended to use Muzan's dying threat to scare him, but it never expected him to not only be unafraid but also excited.
Before it could continue thinking or say anything, the Mirage suddenly felt Muzan's blood in its head stir restlessly.
"Ugh… Ugh…"
Just as Musashi was eagerly hoping to get some information about Muzan from this demon, a giant hand suddenly grew out of the demon's mouth.
Even though it was on the verge of death, the Demon left by Muzan still took effect.
Swish!
The crimson Nichirin Sword sliced through the giant arm, severing it. Musashi had still intended to get more information from this demon, but it was too late. The Mirage's head, along with the giant hand that had grown out, turned to ash and dissipated.
Seeing this, Musashi felt a little disappointed, and also confirmed that Muzan had a way to control other demons; as soon as these demons spoke about him, they would be silenced directly, just like what happened.
It seems finding Muzan and eliminating him will indeed not be easy…
The demon had completely dissipated, and Musashi's mission this time was considered complete, though it was a pity he couldn't ascertain Muzan's whereabouts.
With the demon gone, the Temple returned to its original state. There was almost nothing inside, with many bloodstains still on the floor and some claw marks on the walls, testifying to everything that had happened here.
Looking at everything here, Musashi's mind replayed the experience Gyoumei had described to him. Although he had only said a few words, Musashi could still imagine the changes in his state of mind at the time.
Fighting a demon until dawn with the belief of protecting these children, only to be accused as a criminal in the end—his disappointment was imaginable, and it was no wonder he no longer trusted children.
Perhaps that Old man knows more. I'll ask him again when I go back…
Bowing to a statue of Arhat in the Temple, Musashi turned and left the Temple.
The empty Temple once again fell silent, as if no one had ever been there…
Returning to the Wisteria flower forest, the Old man was leaning against a wisteria tree, sitting and smoking his pipe, his eyes narrowed as if he was about to fall asleep, while Zenitsu stood beside him looking like he was upset.
"Musashi, you're finally back! Let's go down the mountain to eat, I'm starving."
Zenitsu immediately ran towards Musashi after seeing him, looking a bit wronged.
Besides being hungry, he also had another reason to go down the mountain: the old man next to him had a rather sharp tongue, and he couldn't stand it anymore.
Zenitsu's voice startled the old man leaning against the wisteria tree. Opening his eyes, he was surprised to see Musashi.
"You're not dead? Strange, did I guess wrong? There are no demons on this mountain, and the people who died before were all carried off by tigers, leopards, or jackals?" The old man rubbed his head, feeling puzzled.
"Your guess was correct, there was indeed a demon in that Temple, but I've already dealt with it. From now on, you can safely use this path."
Musashi smiled and answered him truthfully, but was met with the old man's gaze as if he were looking at a madman.
"You… Sigh, never mind, I won't say more. If you have the means, you two should go see a doctor." The old man hesitated, then sighed and said to Musashi and Zenitsu.
In his eyes, even if there were people who could fight demons, it couldn't possibly be these children who were only in their teens. This age was precisely when they should be enjoying their youth; how could heaven possibly let them bear such a heavy burden?
Yet, the truth was exactly that: it was this group of children who were fighting demons.
"Huh? But we're not sick, why should we see a doctor?" Musashi didn't understand the old man's words and asked back, somewhat confused.
Zenitsu, standing nearby, couldn't bear to watch and pulled Musashi aside, whispering to him, "He's saying we're crazy. He thinks we're lying and doesn't believe we can fight demons.
This Old man's tongue is really sharp. I could barely stand what he was saying just now."
After hearing Zenitsu's explanation, Musashi understood, but he didn't mind the old man's words. After all, "he certainly doesn't look like someone who could defeat a demon."
"Excuse me, Old man, do you know anything else about that monk's case?"
Sitting next to the old man, Musashi asked him.
Musashi didn't plan to leave tonight. Since this old man was unwilling to believe their words, he would probably stay here all night. Although being in the Wisteria flower forest could prevent demon attacks, there was no guarantee that other wild beasts wouldn't appear. Musashi planned to protect him for one night here.
Of course, he also wanted to know more about what happened to Gyoumei at the time, perhaps finding a way to resolve Gyoumei's inner turmoil.
The old man yawned and replied, "I didn't expect you to be so interested in this, but I don't know much more about it. After all, I wasn't there at the time, and what I told you was just hearsay combined with my own thoughts.
As for what happened later, I only know that only one four-year-old girl survived among those children, and that monk disappeared before his execution."
Hearing this, Musashi felt a bit regretful. What the old man said was almost the same as what he had heard from Gyoumei, with no additional useful information.
"Thank you for telling me this." Although he didn't get the information he wanted, Musashi still smiled and thanked the old man.
"It's nothing, I'm happy to have someone to talk to. I, an old man, still enjoy chatting with others, it's just that not many people are willing to chat with me." The old man took a puff from his pipe and said cheerfully after hearing Musashi's words.
He thought to himself that although this child might have some mental issues, he was still a polite and good child.
If you talk to people like you just did, certainly not many people would want to chat with you!
Zenitsu, who was beside them, silently complained in his heart when he heard the old man's words.
Zenitsu now understood Musashi's thoughts, and despite his hungry stomach, he also sat down like the two of them.
"Oh, by the way, may I ask where you got this wisteria sachet?"
At this moment, Musashi noticed the wisteria sachet on the old man's waist again and asked him.
"You mean this? This used to be quite common around here. We've always had legends of demons, and because demons are said to dislike the scent of wisteria, some people would make these to wear for warding off evil.
However, because many people didn't believe in such things, not many people made these in the past, and now even fewer do. The one I have was given to me by a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl.
That little girl lives in a town not far down the mountain. She seems to be an orphan and makes a living by creating small ornaments. Every day, she makes many of these wisteria sachets and gives them to passersby."