Lin Jie glanced at the blue Spider Lily in the distance. It was undamaged. It seemed that even in his rage, Kokushibou knew that destroying it would drive Muzan Kibutsuji completely insane, so he kept the fight away from it.
This was the place where Kagaya Ubuyashiki would later have traps set up. He would need to use this battlefield again then.
"As expected of Red! You've killed all of the Twelve Kizuki! It makes us Hashira look bad!"
Kyojuro Rengoku said with a laugh, clapping Lin Jie on the shoulder.
"Hey! Rengoku-san, can't you see Red-san is still injured?! His wounds are opening up!"
Shinobu Kocho protested, pushing Rengoku aside to bandage Lin Jie's wounds.
"Ah, my apologies! My mistake!"
Rengoku chuckled sheepishly, scratching his head.
Lin Jie's blood loss this time was mainly due to bleeding from multiple wounds, rather than any serious injury to muscles or bones. Even without using recovery items, he could recover quickly with some rest.
The four of them didn't rush back to headquarters. Instead, they headed towards a nearby hidden base. The relocation had been completed quickly, and the Swordsmith Village personnel were now stationed at the new location not far away.
"You've all worked hard!"
At the new base, the village headman, Tecchin Tecchikawahara, was waiting for them. Or rather, he had been waiting even before the outcome of the battle was known. He had faith that the Demon Slayer Corps would triumph over the demons.
"You flatter us, Village Chief! Red was the main force. We only dealt with some minor demons!"
Rengoku said to Tecchin with a smile.
Shinobu added, "Village Chief, the Nichirin sword you forged for Red-san is now stained with the blood of all Twelve Kizuki."
"Hahaha, is that so! It's truly fortunate to have met a swordsman like Master Red!"
Tecchin laughed heartily.
Suddenly, a man wearing a similar Hyottoko mask, standing behind Tecchin, exclaimed in dissatisfaction, "As expected, that boy Tanjiro wasn't strong enough, causing the sword I forged to break! How outrageous!"
"Village Chief, how long will it take to fuse [Willow Shallow] into [Dawn]?" Lin Jie asked, taking out the Willow Shallow, which he hadn't used in a long time.
"It's just a matter of extracting the special ore and fusing it into the Nichirin blade. It can be done in less than three days," Tecchin replied, taking the [Willow Shallow] from him.
"I'll have to trouble you then, Village Chief."
Lin Jie glanced at the mission time. There were a little over five days left. After completing the mission, there wouldn't be much time left, so now was the perfect opportunity for the reforging.
"If we fuse them, the sunlight energy will be diluted," Tecchin explained further.
"I have a power from my breathing technique that can harm demons, so I don't need sunlight energy. You don't have to consider that aspect during the reforging," Lin Jie said.
"I see, so that's the energy that envelops Red-san's blade during battle!" Shinobu had noticed it before, but the Soul Power made [Dawn] appear grayish-white, a color close to the energy itself, so she thought she had been mistaken.
"No problem! I've been wanting to challenge myself! So, we'll be adding Bright Crystal to increase sharpness while maintaining the blade's sturdiness?"
Tecchin said, a hint of excitement in his voice after a long time.
"Yes. Roughly how much sharper can it get?"
Lin Jie asked.
"About twice as sharp!"
"Then I'll leave it to you, Village Chief."
After notarizing [Dawn] using his Contribution Points, Lin Jie handed both swords to Tecchin.
He could use Star Shard Ore to upgrade Dawn to +6 after returning to the Reincarnation Paradise. He wouldn't have to worry about his weapon falling behind for the next two or three worlds.
Lin Jie took a spare sword from the new base and left. He wasn't heading back to headquarters, but to see Tamayo. He hoped she had good news for him.
On the way, Lin Jie's Kasugai crow arrived from headquarters, relaying Kagaya Ubuyashiki's divination. Muzan Kibutsuji would be making preparations during this time and would appear at the Swordsmith Village in four days.
"As expected of that scumbag boss, he's not attacking immediately?"
Lin Jie didn't know what Muzan was planning, but he was probably confident that his preparations were more thorough than the Demon Slayer Corps. This gave them a buffer period to gather their forces.
Truly worthy of being the Demon King! Even though he hadn't been able to wipe out the four Lower Moon demons without injury this time, he was still constantly looking out for the Demon Slayer Corps!
The large quantities of gunpowder originally hidden beneath the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters were also being transported to the Swordsmith Village. Kakushi members had already arrived at the village and were digging a pit beneath the fake blue Spider Lily, preparing to bury the explosives.
But these were temporarily irrelevant to Lin Jie. He was currently inquiring about the demon blood potion.
"How many days will it take to make this demon blood potion?"
Lin Jie asked, placing Kokushibou's blood in front of Tamayo.
"This blood... it's already very close to Muzan Kibutsuji's!"
Tamayo exclaimed, looking at the blood Lin Jie had brought.
"That bastard is getting stronger! Damn it!"
Yushiro had been training his Blood Demon Art diligently ever since Lin Jie's last departure, a complete change from his usual demeanor. However, he simply wasn't suited for direct combat. Given the right battlefield, even Muzan Kibutsuji would find him a threat.
Unaware of Yushiro's change in expression, Tamayo continued, "The first time took three days, but I'm more familiar with the process now. It will only take a little over a day. Also, the potion to turn demons back into humans has made significant progress. I have a prototype ready. Since you'll be fighting demons, you can help me test its effects."
Tamayo transferred the demon blood to her laboratory and handed Lin Jie a vial.
Lin Jie was surprised that Tamayo had made such significant progress with the potion. He took the vial and checked its information.
[Muzan Cell Transformation Agent (Experimental)]
Origin: Demon Slayer - Tamayo
Quality: Blue
Type: Potion
Effect: When injected into an organism containing Muzan Kibutsuji's cells, it will suppress 50% of life regeneration speed and transform 40% of cells into human cells.
Hint: This agent is experimental. The suppression effect on Muzan Kibutsuji himself is 30%, and the cell transformation rate is 20%.
Rating: 60
Introduction: Derived from demon blood, it aims to eradicate the progenitor of demons!
[Note: This item is not registered, cannot be traded, and cannot be taken out of this world.]
========
"I have enough potent demon blood, but I'm lacking the special demon blood from Nezuko-chan. This is the best I can do for now! It's not that the quantity of blood is insufficient, but rather that Nezuko-chan hasn't been a demon for long, so the concentration of special cells is low," Tamayo explained briefly.
Lin Jie didn't say much. This wasn't his area of expertise, so he refrained from commenting. However, he knew one thing for sure: Muzan Kibutsuji was about to get nerfed again.
It was a good thing he could recuperate at the residence of this centuries-old doctor, Tamayo. After a few bowls of medicine and a good night's sleep, he felt much better by the next day. Thanks to Tamayo's presence, Lin Jie had saved quite a few recovery items.
"Hey, Yushiro, you like Lady Tamayo, don't you?"
Lin Jie teased Yushiro out of boredom.
Yushiro, who had been staring coldly at Lin Jie, blushed instantly at the question and was rendered speechless.
"Heh!"
A smirk crept onto Lin Jie's face.
The blush on Yushiro's face disappeared as quickly as it had come. He said slowly, "Has anyone ever told you that your smile is very intimidating?"
"Is that so?"
Lin Jie restrained his smile. He rarely smiled in front of others in the past decade. He mostly smiled when he was at home watching anime. He could face this arduous life with determination, but that didn't mean he had to do it with a smile.
Lin Jie felt no need to put on a fake smile when things were tough. The smiles he showed while enjoying videos and anime were enough. Why force a smile when he was out and about?
He hadn't noticed Yushiro's point at first. It was only later, after seeing Toko imitating "someone's" smile, that Lin Jie vaguely understood. But so what? With his looks, what kind of smile couldn't he pull off?
"Red-sama, the potion is ready. It's more potent than the last one. However, you can't use it again after this, or you'll risk turning into a demon. What's worse is cell collapse, which would be fatal."
Tamayo handed Lin Jie two vials.
Due to the different concentrations of demon blood used in their creation, the potions made from Kokushibou's blood were stronger.
[Demon Blood Potion]
Origin: Demon Slayer - Tamayo
Quality: Blue
Type: Potion
Effect: After consumption, permanently increases Strength +1, Agility +1, and Vitality +2.
Hint: This potion contains demon blood. Excessive consumption carries the risk of demonification. The maximum number of uses is three!
Rating: 60
Introduction: The culmination of centuries of medical expertise, but still needs improvement.
[Note: Unnotarized, can only be used in this world, cannot be taken out.]
=======
Although it wasn't a perfect quality potion, Lin Jie was already quite satisfied. He immediately used both potions, figuring that with Tamayo present, any unexpected side effects could be dealt with promptly. After all, the Reincarnation Paradise hadn't stated that the potion was completely side-effect-free.
Fortunately, the centuries-old doctor's pharmaceutical skills were trustworthy, and nothing unexpected happened. Lin Jie's basic attributes received a significant boost.
[Contractor 13014 (To protect the Hunter, this is a false designation. No means can be used to locate the Hunter)]
[Name: Lin Jie (Hunter)]
[Level: LV.2 (Tier 1)]
Health: 100%
Mana: 120
Soul Power: 120
Strength: 15
Agility: 13
Vitality: 17
Intelligence: 12