A person in Japan, a sword that soars to immortality.

Clean the house.

Wearing a yukata, Jōichirō kept yawning behind the counter, while the demon mask tattooed on his chest seemed to be greeting Taiichi as he swayed his body.

"Sorry for waking you up so late."

Taiyi said apologetically.

"No need to be so polite. Just let us know if you need anything, haha."

Jingyilang waved his hand, then put his hands on his hips and laughed heartily.

"Since that's the case, I'll get straight to the point: I want information about the cannibalistic courtesan of Yoshiwara."

As soon as Taiyi finished speaking, the shop fell into a deathly silence.

Jingyilang kept his head down, rubbing his chin incessantly, and occasionally making a grimacing expression.

He truly hadn't expected that Taiyi would actually ask him about this news.

If it were any other news, even about the scandalous affairs of the Ooku in Edo Castle, he could tell Taiichi.

But he really didn't want to get involved in the matter of the cannibalistic courtesan of Yoshiwara.

Taiyi seemed to sense his predicament and then immediately revealed another piece of information that he had prepared beforehand.

"I've taken care of the Red Scorpion family for you." Taiichi lowered his head and said calmly. Then he raised his eyelids slightly, stared at Jyoichiro, and said in a deep voice, "From now on, Asakusa's territory will be under the control of your Jyoya. I'll protect the government."

"what?"

Jingyilang immediately stopped what he was doing, staring blankly at Taiyi, unable to react for a long time.

Seeing the other person's expression, Taiichi immediately told him that he had joined the Fire Thieves and had been appointed as a foot soldier.

"What a bold move! In that case, I'll tell you about the cannibalistic courtesan of Yoshiwara, but there are some things I've only heard about."

Jingyilang looked at Taiyi with admiration.

This act of voluntarily applying to apprehend vicious criminals for the safety of the people deeply moved him.

Am I after that golden land of Asakusa?

I admire Taiyi's noble character!

"Ahem, I heard that the story of the cannibalistic courtesan goes like this..."

A few years ago, a courtesan named He Yi suddenly appeared in a brothel called Yan Yan Lou in Yoshiwara.

Her attire differed from that of other courtesans, blending traditional styles with Western influences.

The kimono embroidered with skulls and snakes, and the sheer black silk underwear wrapped around her body.

These outfits, combined with He Yi's sexy and voluptuous figure, directly ignited the Yoshiwara entertainment district.

Countless nobles and merchants spared no expense and offered all sorts of expensive gifts just to catch a glimpse of her.

There were numerous instances of jealousy, fighting, and brawls stemming from her.

Even so, He Yi would refuse to meet a second time after the first meeting.

It wasn't until a small merchant presented her with a mysterious gift that, on their second meeting, he became He Yi's intimate companion.

"So, what is this mysterious gift?"

Taiyi asked curiously.

"It's an...arm."

Jingyilang moved the oil lamp in front of him, and with the light shining from below, he spoke in a sinister tone.

Ok?

"That small merchant spent all his money to see He Yi, but He Yi still refused. In a fit of anger, he cut off his own arm on the spot."

Jingyilang continued to add.

"That's it? What does this have to do with cannibalism?"

Taiyi stared at the other person speechlessly, feeling that after all that talking, from moving the light to lowering his voice, it sounded like he was telling a ghost story.

In the end, all they did was cut off an arm?

"That's the problem. After leaving, the small merchant cut off his own leg again so he could see He Yi a second time, and then he cut it off again the third time he wanted to see He Yi..."

"Alright, alright, this is too ridiculous. Can't you say something useful?"

Taiichi rubbed his face, breathing heavily through his nostrils.

"Um... the useful thing is, the reason He Yi wanted the small merchant's limbs was to eat them!"

"When this news first came out, no one believed it until someone did it and actually succeeded!"

Sometime during the day, Jingyilang had wrapped a bandage around his forehead and inserted two candles inside it.

"and then?"

Taiyi's lips twitched, and the character "井" (well) instantly appeared on his temple. At the same time, his hands, which were placed at his sides, clenched into fists and cracked loudly.

"And then? Do you know what those people gave later? They didn't cut off their own limbs like that small businessman; they just used other people's!"

"Even at the end, people started bringing babies over!"

"Because it was too bizarre, and it may have affected Yoshiwara's business, Yanyanlou had to suspend its services of 'Heyi' (a type of prostitute). As a result, since then, other prostitutes have been going bald or disappearing."

"In the end, it caused widespread panic, so they had no choice but to let He Yi continue to entertain customers and tacitly accepted this rule."

After finishing speaking, Jingyilang leaned against the counter, took out a pipe, and slowly began to smoke.

I said, are you some kind of magician? Where did this cigarette come from? It's making my throat sore!

Taiichi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then said, "I've been to Yoshiwara before, how could I not know about this? Besides, eating people in broad daylight is just too abnormal."

"What's wrong with that? Doesn't your family also openly use human organs as medicine?"

Jingyilang glanced at Taiichi, then exhaled a smoke ring and said irritably.

"I..." Taiyi slammed his fist on the counter, barely managing to catch his breath. After several attempts to control himself, he turned and walked away.

"Hey, Taiichi, what about the Red Scorpion family..."

Seeing that Taiichi was about to leave, Jingyilang suddenly stood up straight and craned his neck to ask.

"Don't worry, you can go and clean the floor tomorrow at noon."

......

slap~

Walking down the street, Taiyi kicked a pebble off the roadside, his face contorted in discomfort, as if he were constipated.

I thought I was going to get some useful information, but after listening for a long time, it turned out to be just a story!

"However, what Jingyilang said wasn't entirely useless."

"Daki is also in Yoshiwara, and according to the Demon Slayer storyline, she loves to eat beautiful people. Those missing bald men and Shinzos might have been her doing."

"Therefore, there must be some unknown connection between Daki and Kaguya!"

"But I still feel like I don't have enough information. Who else can I contact...? I've got it!"

His eyes lit up, and he immediately had someone else in mind.

Then Taiichi hummed a little tune as he walked toward the Yamada house.

the next day.

Rantaro, who was already dressed and had just stepped into the gate of the Fire Thief's Mansion, was suddenly grabbed by the shoulder and pulled out by a hand that reached out from the side.

"Damn it, who dares to do this! Oh, it's Taiyi. Where are you taking me?!"

Rantaro patted Taichi's hand and walked backwards.

"Take down the Red Scorpion headquarters first to clear the way for our investigation in Yoshiwara."

Taiyi said calmly.

"Oh? If you put it that way, I'll get really excited!"