Heiji and Ono walked cautiously through the town, their nichirin blades clutched tightly in their hands, never daring to let go. Heiji was particularly nervous, his palms constantly sweating.
Along the way, apart from the occasional crows in the sky that gave him a sense of security, the darkness only brought him fear.
"The most skilled hunters often appear in the form of their prey."
"Listen, Mr. Heiji, in this battle, the opponent possesses very strong reconnaissance abilities, or perhaps precognitive ones. That's why I cannot appear by your side, at least not in the town. So, this is a fishing plan."
During the day, Uchiha Nagi's serious face appeared in his mind as they discussed the details of the plan.
"Therefore, I will not appear in the town, but this scroll contains something that can protect you. When you encounter danger, open it, and I will rush over from outside the town with all my might. You just need to hold on until I arrive, and you'll be safe."
According to the plan, if the opponent was too strong, they wouldn't show themselves. The fact that even Grade A Demon Slayer Corps members didn't dare to show their faces proved that the opponent was certainly not inferior to Grade A. However, if the bait was too weak, they might perish before help arrived.
So, they chose a middle ground: a Grade C member as bait. Heiji, being young and spirited, and having just joined, was fearless, much like Tanjiro and his companions. He took on this mission himself.
Furthermore, they also hoped to cling to Uchiha Nagi, the newly promoted Pillar, and receive his guidance. This was because the Demon Slayer Corps had internal information that Uchiha Nagi might replace the Flame Pillar.
The previous Flame Pillar, due to severe internal injuries from his battle with Upper Rank Three, would be unable to return to the battlefield for several years. The newly promoted Uchiha Nagi, who had not yet been given a name, was a Pillar-level powerhouse and also practiced Flame Breathing. With the recommendation of Mr. Rengoku, Uchiha Nagi might become the newest Flame Pillar.
This was because most trainers in the Demon Slayer Corps were like school teachers, each guiding dozens of students. Only a few exceptionally talented individuals, whose potential was recognized by retired Pillars, were taken as direct disciples and trained one-on-one.
For example, Tanjiro was trained by the retired Water Pillar for two years, while Zenitsu and his senior were trained by the retired Thunder Pillar for several years.
If he could receive guidance from him, then… Hattori Heiji's talent was also not bad, reaching Grade C in two years.
However, at this moment, he felt a bit scared, because before, there were always Grade A members or Pillars leading the team. Now, he was alone.
Moreover, each time he had slain relatively weak demons, but now he was facing an unknown enemy.
Heiji patrolled for several hours throughout the night, unable to find anyone, and finally grew hungry.
"Perhaps the opponent ran away?" Heiji looked up at the crow in the sky. This was his exclusive crow, which also observed the surrounding enemies from above.
"Hahaha, maybe he's scared of me, your humble servant," Ono said with a cheerful laugh.
After all, so far, no flying demons had been discovered, so as long as the crow flew high enough, it was basically safe. The night provided the crow with the best cover.
Heiji looked up at the sky. The first rays of morning sunlight spread across the earth, and the surroundings were becoming visible to the naked eye, no longer so dark. He sighed in relief. After walking all night, his stomach was empty. He glanced around and saw that a noodle shop owner had just opened his doors.
"Ah, you're an early bird, customer. Please come in, please come in. Oh my, I really didn't expect to have a customer so early. Please wait a moment, I'm still kneading the dough," the owner, a bald uncle in his fifties, looked very kind and benevolent.
"Ah, yes, I haven't slept all night, I'm so tired. Owner, give me a bowl of char siu ramen," Heiji yawned. After a sleepless night, his tense spirit relaxed, and he immediately felt sleepy.
"Owner, I'll have a bowl too, with extra meat," Ono called out.
"Alright, customers, please wait a moment—" The owner skillfully began kneading the dough and boiling water. In a short while, the rich aroma of the soup began to waft through the air.
Heiji noticed that the owner was wearing a string of prayer beads around his neck, which swayed up and down as he kneaded the dough.
"Owner, did you get your prayer beads from a temple?" Heiji asked curiously.
"Yes, the nights haven't been very peaceful lately, so I got a string of prayer beads for safety," the owner touched the prayer beads on his chest, a benevolent expression on his face.
Soon, a steaming bowl of fragrant char siu ramen was placed in front of Heiji. At this moment, Heiji noticed that the prayer beads on the owner's chest were not new, but had a polished look from years of wear, and there were even faint dark marks on the beads.
"Owner, didn't you say you just got your prayer beads from the temple recently? Why do they look like they've been used for a long time?" Heiji asked, puzzled.
"Ah, it's a long story—" The bald owner wiped his sweat and sat down, smiling, to chat with Heiji.
"These prayer beads were given to me by my parents when I was little and often fell ill. They went to the temple to pray for my safety, and indeed, thanks to them, I never got sick again."
The bald, stout owner looked at the sunlight streaming in from outside, his face radiating a warmth like the sun.
"The master at the temple taught me from a young age to do good deeds and accumulate virtue. I've always been very grateful to them for curing my illness and giving me these prayer beads to protect my body, because every time I fell ill, I would see things in my dreams."
"Oh? See things in your dreams?" Ono ate his ramen, listening curiously to the owner's story.
"Yes, I saw some disasters in my dreams, and then they would appear in reality not long after. It's amazing, isn't it? Unfortunately, after my parents found out about this ability, they wouldn't let me tell anyone," the owner sighed.
"Why?" Heiji asked curiously, chewing on his char siu.
"Because the people who died in the dreams due to disasters would also die in reality. My parents were afraid I'd be treated as an outcast and burned by the villagers, so they told me not to speak of it, until one day, I had another dream."
"What dream?"
"I dreamt that people from out of town came to the village to buy grain at high prices. Because the price was several times higher, everyone sold all their grain. Since the grain in the fields would ripen in a few days, the farmers thought it was a windfall. However, in the days leading up to the harvest, a heavy rainstorm fell, and all the crops were destroyed. The result was a great flood, followed by a plague, and with no food, the townspeople starved and fell ill, with only a handful surviving. When I woke up, I told my parents, and our family harvested all the unripe grain early. Many villagers laughed at us for being foolish. My parents firmly believed in my dream, but they hesitated whether to tell the villagers, because my dream this time was truly terrifying. But at that moment, I saw the prayer beads on my chest and remembered what the master had told me, to do more good deeds and accumulate virtue. So, despite my parents' objections, I ran out and told all the villagers about this dream, urging them to quickly harvest the unripe grain and escape this disaster—"
"And then, Owner?" Unbeknownst to him, Heiji had become so engrossed in the owner's story that he hadn't even realized he had finished his bowl of noodles.