Chương 43: Hunter [43]: The Priest Clan
"Any enhancement, no matter how small, would be helpful."
Lin Jiu said as he took out over ten jin of Doma's blood and placed it in front of Tamayo.
"Whose Upper Moon demon blood is this?"
Tamayo was astonished to see so much blood.
"It's from the ice demon, Doma."
"..."
Yushiro dared not speak. The man before him had been injured because he had slain an Upper Moon demon, one extremely close to the Demon King. They hadn't heard of an Upper Moon demon's death in nearly a century. Now, not only had they received the news, but they also had over ten kg of demon blood right before them.
"How long do I need to rest?"
Lin Jiu asked as he looked at his newly bandaged wounds.
"If you recover quickly, you should be able to expel the ice crystals from your body in three days."
Tamayo replied while storing Doma's blood.
Although Tamayo and Yushiro could survive on a small amount of blood, they still ate human food to blend in with humans. This saved Lin Jiu the trouble of finding food for himself.
"Do you know about the Priest Clan?"
Lin Jiu asked Tamayo after dinner. He had long been curious about the Priest Clan, which was only briefly mentioned in the story.
A thousand years ago, Muzan Kibutsuji, then a member of the Ubuyashiki family, was on the brink of death due to a terminal illness. Due to a misjudgment, he killed the doctor, which resulted in his mutation into an immortal demon.
Since then, the Ubuyashiki family seemed to be cursed, with their children being weak and sickly, dying shortly after birth.
To ensure their bloodline did not end, the Ubuyashiki family followed the directions of the Priests and intermarried with girls from the Priest Clan for generations, thereby avoiding the curse of premature death.
Would the Priest Clan appear when the Ubuyashiki family faced extermination? And how did they know the term demon?
"Mr. Red, it seems you're not just a simple member of the Demon Slayer Corps' Hashira?"
Tamayo remarked upon hearing Lin Jiu's question. Matters concerning the Priest Clan involved the Ubuyashiki family, the leaders of the Demon Slayer Corps, and Hashira typically didn't concern themselves with such matters—they only focused on slaying demons and saving people.
"I never said I was a Hashira. I'm just an ordinary member of the Demon Slayer Corps."
Lin Jiu replied. Being a Hashira was not a desirable fate.
Since becoming a Hashira was not part of the main mission assigned by Reincarnation Paradise, Lin Jiu had no intention of becoming one voluntarily.
Yushiro rolled his eyes from the side, choosing to remain silent. He didn't want to provoke Lin Jiu in any way that might endanger both himself and Tamayo.
Muzan Kibutsuji had turned from a human into a demon, and Tamayo naturally needed to research the principles of medicine to turn demons back into humans. This required investigating the events that occurred after Muzan Kibutsuji's transformation a thousand years ago.
Although the remnants of the medicine's formula were likely taken by Muzan Kibutsuji for his research, Lin Jiu found it impossible to believe that Tamayo had gained nothing from a century of investigation.
Tamayo didn't hide anything from Lin Jiu, as it wasn't her secret and wasn't considered confidential in her eyes. She began, "Muzan Kibutsuji's transformation into a demon cursed the Ubuyashiki family for generations. Knowing this connection, I investigated the Ubuyashiki family.
When I discovered that the Priest Clan had stated that a demon appeared in their bloodline, cursing them for generations, I was shocked. I even thought there might have been earlier demons before Muzan Kibutsuji."
"So, the truth isn't as it seems?"
Lin Jiu inferred from her words.
"Indeed... This Priest Clan is a branch of the Onmyoji. Their Head Priest is a branch family of the Kamo clan. When they referred to a demon, they meant a yokai.
During the Heian period, yokai were rampant, and the Onmyoji referred to them as Hyakki Yagyo (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons). Onmyoji often called these yokai 'demons,' hence the Priests called Muzan Kibutsuji a demon, and the Ubuyashiki family adopted the term," Tamayo explained her understanding, though she wasn't entirely sure of its accuracy.
There were many questionable points, but also some believable elements. For instance, the connection between the Priest Clan and Onmyoji. A thousand years ago, during the Heian period, was when Muzan Kibutsuji became the progenitor of demons, coinciding with the time Abe no Seimei revived the glory of Onmyoji.
As for why Muzan Kibutsuji wasn't eliminated by Onmyoji back then, it was likely due to his cunning nature.
Regardless of the layers of truth, Lin Jiu was very satisfied with this answer as it triggered a mission for him.
[Side Mission: Secret of the Priest Clan]
Difficulty Level: lv.3
Mission Description: Why did the Onmyoji, who flourished during the Heian period, decline, and what is the Priest Clan's connection to this?
Mission Information: Obtain this information from relevant individuals.
Mission Deadline: Before the main mission ends.
Mission Reward: 5000 Paradise Coins, 1 attribute point.
Failure Penalty: None.
This mission would be quite challenging for an average contractor. The mission information states that the information must be obtained from relevant individuals, and guessing, even if correct, doesn't count.
So, who are these relevant individuals? Naturally, Ubuyashiki Kagaya and his wife!
For an average contractor, it would be difficult even to meet them, let alone gain their favor.
But Lin Jiu was different. Due to his strength, he was treated like a Hashira from the start and had already met Ubuyashiki Kagaya. With the message about Upper Moon Two Doma being sent back by the Kasugai Crow, Ubuyashiki Kagaya couldn't refuse such a small question from him.
"During this time, through Yushiro's abilities, we also discovered a group of demons who are not under Muzan Kibutsuji's control. They gather in groups of three to five. Before you arrived, I was planning to make contact with them..."
Tamayo's words made Lin Jiu somewhat surprised. She must be referring to the contractors who have joined the demon faction. Whether Tamayo's side counts as the demon faction is still unknown, but compared to Muzan Kibutsuji, Tamayo is more approachable and easier to gain benefits from. It seems like someone among them deliberately exposed themselves to Tamayo.
"Do you know their recent movements?"
Lin Jiu asked.
Tamayo hesitated for a few seconds, feeling that Lin Jiu in front of her was more of a cooperative partner compared to those unpredictable demons. She then said, "A group is gathering at Mount Natagumo."
"Mount Natagumo…"
Lin Jiu thought of the many Demon Slayer Corps members who had died there. So, these contractors are targeting those members.
"Prepare some medicine for me to take on the way."
Lin Jiu stood up and said to Tamayo.
"Is it because of those demons?"
Tamayo also stood up and started preparing the medicine.
"Yes… I'll bring you their blood. Don't forget my enhancement potion." Compared to those contractors, Tamayo's enhancement potion was more important to Lin Jiu. But it would take some time to refine and prepare.
Before leaving, Lin Jiu took out the green treasure chest dropped by Doma and opened it. As expected from an Upper Moon Two, the chest did not disappoint and emitted a flash of light.
[You have opened the treasure chest (green) and obtained the following items!]
[1000 Paradise Coins]
[Weapon: Blissful Golden Fan]
[Skill Scroll: Vine Lotus]
========
[Blissful Golden Fan]
Origin: Demon Slayer
Quality: Green
Durability: 34/50
Attack Power: 10-15
Equipment Requirements: Strength 9 points, Agility 10 points
Rating: 26
Effect: Ice Demon. Increases the effect of ice attribute skills by 5%.
Description: Anger is not my wish, nor is fear!
Price: 3000 Paradise Coins.
[Vine Lotus]
Origin: Demon Slayer
Quality: Green
Type: Skill Scroll
Effect: Consumes 50 mana points to summon ice vines equal to the number of intelligence points for attack and control. (Attack: Attack power related to intelligence attributes. Control: Strength check.)
Rating: 30
Description: What exactly did I come to this world for?
Price: 3500 Paradise Coins.
========
Lin Jiu was quite satisfied, as both items were good finds. Returning to Paradise for sale, the prices could be even higher.
...
"Old King, won't we be attacked by the spider demons if we come here?"
"But we can't just ignore our mission. It's rare to have so many Demon Slayer Corps members gathered here; we can't miss this opportunity."
Old King said, spreading his hands.
The contractor with a gun at his waist said, "Old Wood and his group didn't come with us."
"Don't mention Old Wood; even the Drunkard's group didn't come."
The Drunkard's group' he mentioned were contractors who were teleported to another location and would join up later.
Old King said with a smile, "Our group is the weakest, so we can only rely on the storyline to complete the task. That Old Wood is so mysterious; who knows what he's up to."
"If our people at one location hadn't been killed by the Demon Slayer Corps, we wouldn't have to come to such a dangerous place. There are two Hashira here."
A contractor complained. The presence of Giyu Tomioka and Shinobu Kocho at Mount Natagumo gave them a strong sense of crisis.
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