"Going this far?"

Genichiro followed not far behind Yamasuke.

The sunlight passed through the layers of obstacles of the branches, and when it reached the ground, it already seemed a little dim.

This is the hillside south of Xinshangquan Village, so the cold wind coming from the north makes the trees here look like ferocious living creatures.

Genichiro even felt as if he was being monitored by something cold. The thing hidden behind the shadows of the trees almost made his hair crawl.

The last time he felt like this was when he pulled out the Black Immortal Slash.

Just kidding, he was a fierce warrior during the Warring States Period!

How could you feel this way for no reason?

Genichiro, who originally thought he would never see a ghost during the day, was not so sure now.

After all, the last time we met the water ghost was when he hid under the turbid water during the day and killed eight of Murata's teammates.

Being unable to sacrifice one's life under the sun does not mean that one cannot attack humans under the sun. There is an essential difference.

[If you still need to pass through a cave or a darker place, just go back first...]

He is concerned about the safety of the entire Ashina and cannot take risks easily.

He currently carries neither the Nichirin Sword nor Sase Jinji from the Eagles as his bodyguard.

The latter was sent to a nearby police station to investigate the disappearance files of the past two years to see if any clues could be found.

"We'll be there soon, please hold on."

Yamasuke's tone was determined, and he was obviously very familiar with the terrain here. A pair of open-toed straw sandals made a regular squeezing sound on the snow.

Only then did Genichiro feel a little calmer.

In fact, if Genichiro walked around in front of Yamasuke, he would see the twelve-year-old boy's face maintaining a strange distortion between the cold wind and his own fanaticism.

It was as if he planned to accomplish something great and was deeply proud of it.

In this way, the two walked for less than ten minutes, and finally climbed over the hillside and came to a valley with sparse trees.

"Right there."

Yamasuke's pace suddenly quickened, and Genichiro breathed a sigh of relief when he finally walked out of the shadow of the tall trees.

【Here, ghosts have no way to hide.】

However, after walking twenty or thirty steps, the scenery that appeared in front of him shocked even Genichiro.

The center of the valley is filled with water vapor, and scattered red maple trees surround a clear pond, letting the lazy and direct sunlight in winter shine on the water.

The falling leaves are swaying on the water like a small boat, making people feel relaxed.

The pond was an extremely clear hot spring, guarded by several large green stones, and surrounded by several flowers that did not belong to this season.

In the distance, there are even birds singing loudly in the forest, and there is a pleasant fragrance in the air.

This is a mysterious area full of life.

Especially after experiencing the gloomy old forest on the southern slope just now, this contrast undoubtedly makes this place look even more lovely.

Even a person like Genichiro who has never had much appreciation for natural scenery can't help but be addicted to this secret realm.

"How about it? I said it right, right?"

Yamasuke came to the edge of the hot spring and beat a huge stone next to him rhythmically, causing a crisp echo in the forest and reaching far away.

"I finally understand! No wonder your village chief is so confident in the hot springs in his newly-launched village."

Genichiro did not hesitate to praise him.

"This kind of treasure land is like a place where gods live in legend."

"If I were from your village, I would wish to protect this place with a torii gate."

Genichiro put his hand into the hot spring and stirred it gently, feeling the perfect temperature of the water.

"It's perfect water quality and perfect water temperature."

At that moment, he really considered whether to put Ashina's new address here, and then give the people of Hot Spring Village a large sum of money to move out.

"It would be great if you are satisfied. To be honest, I also think this is a place where the hot spring god often stays."

When Yamasuke talked about the hot spring god, his expression was completely different from that of other people in the village.

It's like mentioning a very familiar friend.

"I still have some work to do, so I'm going back first."

Yamasuke placed a white yukata on the big stone aside, "Next, please enjoy it alone."

"OK."

Genichiro nodded. It was still a long time before he made an appointment with Butterfly Kanae.

It would take several hours for Sase Jinji to go back and forth to the police station, so it would be better for him to stay here for a while.

"If my assistant comes back, please tell him where I am."

Yamasuke nodded, "No problem."

After turning around, Sansuke quickly left the valley, but when he reached the end, he turned back and took a deep look at Genichiro who had already entered the water.

"You will disappear together soon."

"Whether it's that uncle or that woman..."

"Just like other outsiders who want to destroy the village!"

…

At noon, Butterfly Kanae had just returned from picking up the nichirin sword from the hotel next to the mountain road, and saw Jinji Sase talking to the landlady with some worry.

To be honest, Jinji Sase had a cold face all day yesterday, like a marble statue in a museum.

Butterfly Kanae couldn't help but guess what happened to make him show such an expression.

"Mr. Sase."

"Mrs. Okja."

She greeted the two of them politely first, and then asked curiously: "What happened?"

"Miss Kanae."

Sase Jinji simply returned the greeting, and then asked anxiously: "Have you seen Genichiro-sama?"

"..."

Butterfly Kanae shook her head, and then a bad premonition flashed through her heart.

"Could it be that Genichiro is also missing?"

"Yes, I've searched around the village, but I haven't seen any sign of him."

Jinji Sase's forehead was so anxious that he was sweating. As a ninja, he lost his master. This was really a shame and humiliation.

Except for Ashina's amnesiac wolf, it was difficult for other ninjas to accept this fatal mistake.

"I went to the police station in the morning, and when I came back I found that Genichiro-sama had disappeared."

"Police station?" Mrs. Yuzi's voice suddenly became louder, "What are you doing at the police station?"

"It has nothing to do with you, don't bother!"

The icy gazes of the hawks glanced at her, and Mrs. Yuzi fell down on the counter as if she had seen some wild beast.

Just as Butterfly Kanae wanted to see her situation, Sase Jinji said to her: "Miss Kanae, let's talk somewhere else."

Kanae saw that Madam was just frightened and nothing serious, so she nodded.

With this kind of momentum, it seems that Genichiro is right, this uncle must have killed many people...

What exactly do they do?

Could it be that Genichiro is actually a descendant of a general?

The two of them came to the backyard, where Genichiro practiced kowtow combos in the morning. At this moment, the red leaves on the ground had been swept away.

"Miss Kanae, I know your identity very well, so I will make it clear."

Jinji Sase took out a piece of paper with lines of writing on it.

"These are the lists of missing tourists in Xinshangquan Village in the past two years that I went to the police station in the morning and copied."

Butterfly Kanae took it silently, but felt a little envious in her heart.

If the Demon Slayer Squad could ask the police to provide information every time they handle a case, how much trouble would be saved.

In fact, she didn't know that this list was stolen from the police station by Jinji Sase.

For this reason, a young policeman with sensitive ears was knocked unconscious. It is estimated that he will be treated as absenteeism all day today.

Butterfly Kanae quickly glanced at the list and found that several names in it had indeed appeared in the newspaper. They were indeed missing tourists in Shinshangquan Village.
To be continued...