The wheels rumbled, leaving the small town nestled among the mountains, and the road gradually became flat and wide.
Tanjirou knelt by the carriage window, his eyes almost glued to the scenery outside.
Most of the time, he diligently practiced the Standing Meditation, a stance that combined the Qi Refining Technique with the Kagura Dance breathing, enduring the tingling, aching, and numbing electrical stimulation that Cheng Mo occasionally applied.
Only during breaks would he curiously observe this rapidly changing world.
The towns and villages along the way had noticeably grown in size, and the styles of houses became more diverse.
Occasionally, he would see factory chimneys spewing black smoke, and hurried employees dressed in Western-style uniforms.
"Teacher, what are those tall poles?" Tanjirou asked curiously, pointing to the distant utility poles.
"Utility poles, used for transmitting electricity."
Cheng Mo closed his eyes to rest, explaining concisely.
"A form of energy that can light electric lamps and power machines."
"Electric lamps? Brighter than oil lamps?" Tanjirou found it hard to imagine.
"Much brighter." Cheng Mo didn't elaborate, leaving it for him to witness firsthand.
The closer they got to Tokyo, the more significant the changes became.
Traditional wooden machiya houses and Western-style brick and stone buildings began to appear interspersed.
On the roads, not only could they see ox carts, horse-drawn carriages, and rickshaws, but occasionally, even cars spewing black smoke would honk and drive past, causing the horses pulling carts to whinny uneasily, and making Tanjirou's eyes widen.
People's clothing also became more diverse; there were traditional outfits like kimonos and haori.
Many men wore gakuran or suits, and women could be seen in Western dresses and hakama skirts.
People of various accents and professions converged, making the air noisy and vibrant.
Tanjirou felt like a sponge dropped into a stream, desperately absorbing all this bizarre information, his brain almost overwhelmed.
"Is this... a big city?"
He murmured to himself, the worldview of the mountain youth greatly impacted.
Cheng Mo remained calm, but the Eye of Truth's perception always enveloped the surroundings, vigilant for any possible anomalies.
He knew that beneath the prosperous facade, this rapidly Westernizing city harbored undercurrents far more complex and dangerous than the demons in the mountains.
Several days later, the carriage finally entered the Tokyo Prefecture.
When the towering brick buildings, clanging streetcars, and bustling, shoulder-to-shoulder crowds truly appeared before Tanjirou's eyes, he was utterly speechless, just gaping at everything.
The air was mixed with various smells: the aroma of food, powder, tobacco, gasoline, horse manure, sweat... and the scent of countless strangers.
The smells converged into a vast and chaotic torrent, assaulting his overly sensitive nose, making him feel a bit dizzy.
"Stay close to me, don't get lost." Cheng Mo's voice pulled him back from his shock.
Cheng Mo paid a generous fare, dismissed the carriage driver, and led Tanjirou into the flow of people in the Asakusa District.
Asakusa, centered around Senso-ji Temple, is one of Tokyo's most representative bustling districts.
The giant lantern hanging in front of Kaminarimon, the bustling Nakamise shopping street, vendors selling various Edo-style snacks and crafts... young women in splendid kimonos heading to worship, gentlemen in suits, curious foreign tourists... all formed a vivid and noisy ukiyo-e.
"People... so many people..."
Tanjirou followed closely behind Cheng Mo, instinctively clutching the hidden sword in his arms, afraid of being squeezed by the crowd, and also afraid of losing his teacher.
The surrounding din almost drowned him.
Cheng Mo seemed well-adapted to the noise here.
He had a clear goal; first, he found a clean and respectable-looking inn to check in.
This time, the room was more Westernized, with glass windows, electric lights, and even a simple bathroom.
Cheng Mo skillfully pressed the switch, and the moment the electric light came on, Tanjirou was thoroughly shocked once again.
He stared at the light bulb emitting a steady white glow for a long time.
Over the next few days, Cheng Mo did take Tanjirou around the Asakusa District.
They passed through Kaminarimon, with its giant red lantern, and walked into the bustling Nakamise shopping street.
Tanjirou's eyes widened as he looked at the various ningyoyaki, senbei, toys, and crafts sold on both sides.
They stood in the distance, watching the magnificent Senso-ji Temple, bustling with worshippers.
They also lingered outside some seemingly high-class Western restaurants, watching well-dressed people eat with shining knives and forks.
Tanjirou was full of curiosity and questions about everything, trying hard not to show it, but his eyes always couldn't help but look around.
Cheng Mo would occasionally buy him some snacks or briefly explain new things.
"This is a streetcar, powered by electricity."
"That kind of clothing is called a suit, worn by Westerners."
Tanjirou tried hard to remember, feeling like his brain was almost overflowing.
Teacher knows so much!
But Tanjirou soon discovered that the routes his teacher took him on seemed very purposeful, not aimless wandering.
They often bypassed some particularly lively areas, instead lingering in quieter streets and alleys with many clinic or pharmacy signs.
Sometimes, his teacher would tell him to buy something to eat at a nearby pastry shop, while he himself would seemingly casually lean against a wall at the alley entrance, closing his eyes to rest, standing for a long time.
Tanjirou vaguely felt that his teacher seemed to be... looking for something.
But if his teacher didn't say, he didn't dare to ask.
At night, Cheng Mo would often choose the inn's rooftop or a nearby tall building, sitting for a long time.
He closed his eyes, like an old monk in meditation, but Tanjirou could feel that, centered on his teacher, an extremely subtle yet sharp perception spread out like a spiderweb, sweeping over the sleeping streets.
Was he cultivating?
Or... was he looking for something?
Tanjirou didn't ask, only practiced even harder, trying not to burden his teacher.
A few more days passed, still with no results.
Cheng Mo stood by the window, looking at the continuous flow of people and carriages below, his eyes deep.
Asakusa was too big, and too chaotic.
Although the Eye of Truth's perception was strong, in such an extremely densely populated and chaotic environment, long-term, wide-ranging precise scanning placed an immense mental burden on him.
It was like trying to find a special grain of sand on a vast beach with a high-powered microscope, inefficient and unsustainable.
Tamayo and Yushiro could hide in Tokyo, where Muzan occasionally operated, so their concealment methods were certainly not ordinary.
It was by no means just a simple illusion spell, as depicted in the original work.
The coincidental encounters in the anime had a zero probability in reality.
They must have a more thorough and cautious way of hiding—perhaps a barrier that completely blocks their aura, perhaps a perfect identity disguised as ordinary human doctors, or perhaps influencing the perception of those around them through Blood Demon Art...
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