Chapter 65: The Ghost in the Carpenter's Shop

Chapter 65: The Ghost in the Carpenter's Shop

Chu Yang was still debating whether to pretend to be a customer and buy some oden to greet Tanjiro's father without raising any suspicion when a strange, foul odor suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Following the scent, he noticed it came from a carpenter's shop across the street.

The young boy beside Tanjiro's father also seemed to have smelled it, his face twisting in disgust, though he was too young to understand what the odor represented.

Chu Yang pondered for a moment and decided to deal with the ghost hiding in the carpenter's shop first before approaching Tanjiro's father.

"I just remembered, Nezuko told me before I left that she wanted a toy. Tanjiro, how about we go buy a toy for your sister?" After unloading the charcoal, Tanjiro's father coughed a few times, bending down to ask the boy.

"Sure! Let's get Nezuko a toy." Young Tanjiro responded excitedly.

The toys Tanjiro's father referred to were actually cheap wooden trinkets, which could be bought at the carpenter's shop across from them.

However, the shop, which usually opened early, had its doors tightly shut today. Tanjiro's father decided to knock, hoping the owner was home so they could quickly buy a toy and not be an inconvenience.

Being a considerate person, Tanjiro's father wouldn't normally trouble others, but he had promised Nezuko, so he felt obliged.

Hand in hand, father and son walked toward the carpenter's shop, with little Tanjiro jumping excitedly.

"Be careful, Tanjiro," his father gently reminded him, unaware that a tall figure had already blocked their path.

"The shop's closed. You should come back another time."

Tanjiro's father looked up, seeing Chu Yang standing between them and the carpenter's shop. He frowned slightly but still responded politely, "I apologize, but I urgently need to order something. If we're causing any trouble, I'll apologize to the owner."

After speaking, Tanjiro's father, preferring to avoid unnecessary conflicts, led his son around Chu Yang and continued toward the shop.

Chu Yang sighed—dealing with a stubborn yet honest person was always tricky—and followed them.

Although Tanjiro's father was suffering from a serious illness, his senses were much sharper than ordinary people due to his years of practicing the Hinokami Kagura (Dance of the Fire God), also known as the Sun Breathing technique. He quickly sensed Chu Yang following behind and felt a flash of concern.

From Chu Yang's aura, Tanjiro's father could tell this was no ordinary person. Given his own fragile condition, if Chu Yang meant harm, a fight would be disastrous regardless of the outcome.

He subconsciously quickened his pace, hoping to buy the toy and leave quickly.

Little Tanjiro, sensing his father's urgency, stopped playing around and matched his father's hurried steps.

He didn't understand why his father seemed so anxious. Was it because of the man behind them? But the man didn't seem bad—he didn't have the smell of a villain…

Before they knew it, they reached the carpenter's shop, and Tanjiro's father extended his hand to knock on the door.

Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed his wrist.

"Sir, you're going too far!" Tanjiro's father glared in anger, debating whether he should fight back.

Chu Yang did something that left Tanjiro's father perplexed—he raised a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.

Tanjiro's father froze, noting that Chu Yang didn't appear to be picking a fight.

At that moment, little Tanjiro's face turned pale in horror. Tugging at his father's hand, he nervously pointed at the carpenter's shop. "Father, there's a smell of blood in there—lots and lots of blood…"

Tanjiro's father's expression changed dramatically. He knew how keen Tanjiro's sense of smell was; there was no way his son could be mistaken. This meant there was indeed a great deal of blood inside the shop.

And given that the shop should have opened long ago but remained quiet, Tanjiro's father immediately realized that something terrible had likely happened to the owner.

But how did this young man know?

Tanjiro's father looked at Chu Yang in confusion.

Leaning closer, Chu Yang whispered a single word into his ear, leaving Tanjiro's father staring in disbelief. He had always thought such creatures only existed in legends.

A demon!

"You don't believe me, do you?" Chu Yang, anticipating his reaction, placed his hand on the door. "That demon is right behind this door…"

Pulling his son away, Tanjiro's father stepped back repeatedly. Though still doubtful, a part of him feared it might be true.

"As long as you stand in the sunlight, nothing will happen," Chu Yang reassured him, grabbing the handle and preparing to open the door. His purpose for coming to this small town was to eliminate the demon.

A demon daring to linger in a town during daylight was seeking death. Demons were like rats, meant to hide in the dark.

"Wait," Tanjiro's father anxiously asked, "if it really is a demon, what do you plan to do?"

"What will I do?" Chu Yang chuckled. "Kill it, of course. I'm a demon slayer."

"A demon slayer?" Tanjiro's father suddenly recalled stories from his childhood, when his parents had spoken of demon slayers. His family seemed to have some connection to them as well.

Hinokami Kagura…

Tanjiro's father instinctively thought of his family's unique technique.

Little Tanjiro tilted his head, unable to fully grasp the conversation between his father and Chu Yang.

But he could sense that the older boy was about to do something dangerous.

"If you're afraid, leave now. Once I've dealt with the demon, I'll come visit you." Chu Yang gave one last warning.

But instead of leaving, Tanjiro's father asked, "You're sure we'll be safe in the sunlight?"

Chu Yang could tell the man wanted to confirm the existence of demons, so without saying another word, he violently ripped the door open, catching the attention of nearby vendors.

"Hey! What are you doing? You're damaging someone else's property! Tanjiro, stop that guy!" shouted the oden vendor from across the street.

But Tanjiro's father didn't follow the vendor's instructions.

Instead, after Chu Yang tore open the door, he quickly pulled Tanjiro back.

Chu Yang entered the dark shop alone.

Inside, it was pitch black, with not a trace of light, and outside, the sun was already setting, failing to illuminate the interior of the carpenter's shop.

"What on earth are you two doing?" The oden vendor, seeing Chu Yang destroy the door and brazenly walk in, angrily stormed toward the shop.

"Stay here. Don't go near!" Tanjiro's father hurriedly grabbed the vendor's clothes, terrified that he might recklessly walk into danger.

"What's wrong with you today, Tanjuro? You're acting so strange!" The vendor, surprised by Tanjiro's father's unfamiliar behavior, frowned and shook off his hand, stubbornly approaching the shop.