Kurozawa and Kocho Kanae moved at full speed, using the Breathing Technique to recover when tired before continuing. They covered an unknown distance in a single day.
As dusk settled, Kurozawa and Kanae arrived at a bustling major road.
Lotus Town was remote, but the initial parts of the road leading to it were lively, especially the area Kurozawa and Kanae were approaching.
The Yoshiwara Pleasure District, a place filled with and overflowing with desire.
"Men..."
Watching the constant stream of people, their faces filled with anticipation and excitement, Kanae murmured softly. Nine out of ten passersby on this road were men.
Kurozawa wasn't familiar with the Yoshiwara Pleasure District, but he noticed Kanae's unusual reaction. "What is this place? It looks quite lively up ahead."
His eyesight was excellent. Even from a great distance, he could see the bright lights ahead. The sky wasn't even completely dark yet, but bright lights were already lit there, easily visible from several kilometers away.
Kanae gave Kurozawa a strange look. "The Yoshiwara Pleasure District. You haven't heard of it?"
He really hadn't. Kurozawa had stayed on Mount Sagiri practicing for years and didn't know much about the outside world.
Thinking about it now, other Swordsmen even participated in the Swordsman Trial in their early teens, but Sakonji Urokodaki kept delaying his participation, making him constantly train. This was also a way of protecting him, only agreeing after Kurozawa's strength had greatly improved.
Kurozawa shook his head. "No, I haven't. 'Flower District'... is it a place where they sell flowers?"
Based on the name, that's all Kurozawa could imagine.
Beside him, Kanae's eyes widened in surprise. "You really don't know?" She glanced at the people passing by, then looked at Kurozawa, her face full of suspicion.
Kurozawa sighed helplessly and shrugged. "How many times do you need to ask? Why would I lie to you?"
Seeing Kurozawa's serious expression, Kanae said half-believingly, "Alright, the Yoshiwara Pleasure District is where Courtesans gather. Uh, it's also the place you men yearn for the most."
"Courtesan" was a pleasant name, but its actual meaning described women who made a living by pleasing others. The Yoshiwara Pleasure District had many famous courtesan houses.
Courtesan? What's that? Kurozawa was again full of questions. He had never heard this word before; it was outside his realm of knowledge.
Kanae kept using words she thought he understood, but he didn't understand at all.
"What Courtesans? What 'yearn for the most'? Are there mechs sold inside? Could you explain clearly instead of being so secretive?"
Ignoring the strange words that popped out of Kurozawa's mouth, Kanae's face turned red. She was a bit unsure how to explain. Even with Kurozawa's repeated urging, she didn't budge.
"Why do you have so many questions? You'll understand when we go in!"
After glaring at Kurozawa, Kanae ignored him and quickened her pace, leaving Kurozawa behind.
How did she suddenly get so upset while talking? Kurozawa was baffled and quickly followed.
About ten minutes later, the two followed the main road and officially arrived at the Yoshiwara Pleasure District. Seeing the scene before him, Kurozawa stood rooted to the spot.
Ambiguous lighting covered the entire street. There were no dark corners. The street was full of pedestrians, and on both sides were exquisite buildings, mostly decorated with pink lanterns, tassels, sheer fabric, etc. The layout of the buildings on this street was even more beautiful than the city of Asakusa.
What made Kurozawa stand there frozen was the sight of the women on, inside, and beside these buildings.
These women were dressed quite revealingly, showing large areas of fair skin. They were all beautiful, either standing coolly on upper floors, looking down at the pedestrians below, or leaning gracefully against pillars at the doorway, gently beckoning towards the street. Occasionally, someone on the street would catch their eye and walk inside, taking the woman deeper into the building.
Seeing this scene, Kurozawa finally understood what "Courtesan" meant.
"...So it means 'Female Bodhisattva'. They gave it a nice name, though." Kurozawa struggled to avert his gaze, took a deep breath, and calmed his mind.
Kanae rolled her eyes at Kurozawa and scolded, "Now you know, don't you? You kept asking and asking."
"Do you want to go in and stay for a night too?"
Kurozawa pondered for a moment, then answered solemnly, "That might not be impossible. With so many people here, it's very likely Demons are mixed in. As a Swordsman, it is my duty to investigate whether the Yoshiwara Pleasure District is safe."
This was originally just a joke, but out of caution, Kurozawa slightly closed his eyes and concentrated, activating his Fighting Spirit perception. There were too many people in the Yoshiwara Pleasure District, and various Fighting Spirits were mixed together. If his mind was scattered, it would be difficult to distinguish the difference between human and Demon Fighting Spirits.
Beside him, Kanae looked at Kurozawa testily. "If you really want to stay, I won't stop you. Just don't use up too much energy. We can leave tomorrow."
Kurozawa's eyebrows twitched. His eyes snapped open, and he suddenly looked in a certain direction.
Seeing his action, Kanae was slightly startled. Her hand was already on her Nichirin Blade, and she quickly asked, "Are there really Demons?" This reaction speed was certainly worthy of a Demon Slayer Pillar.
"Let me sense again."
Closing his eyes again, his Fighting Spirit perception was fully activated. Dense Fighting Spirits of various attributes began to appear. Controlling his perception, he filtered these Fighting Spirits layer by layer. The world in Kurozawa's eyes gradually became clearly defined.
White Fighting Spirit representing humans filled Kurozawa's vision, but among this white, there was a significant amount of black mixed in, emitting a distorted aura.
"Hello, are you interested in coming with me?"
Someone approached Kurozawa and gently tugged at his clothes. Since there was no malice, Kurozawa didn't stop them.
Opening his eyes again, Kurozawa saw a beautiful woman standing in front of him, extending her fair-skinned hand. "Could you keep me company for a night?"
From a building nearby, some other women were looking in Kurozawa's direction and making noise. They seemed to be this woman's companions.
His Charm Stat had worked its magic again, successfully attracting a lot of attention to Kurozawa.
Actually, even without the Charm Stat, he would still be noticeable and stand out among the many passersby. His well-trained physique, the faintly visible muscles under his clothes, and his calm, powerful, unique aura made him as dazzling as a firefly in the dark night.
Kanae leaned close to Kurozawa's ear and whispered, "In Yoshiwara, you don't have to pay when a Courtesan invites you. Kurozawa, you're quite popular."
Wasn't that obvious? Kurozawa looked at Kanae in surprise, but was met with a fierce glare.
"Sorry, I have a female companion."
He casually pointed at Kanae, smiled slightly, and refused the woman's invitation.
Joke's on them, thinking they could just get a free ride. How could that be possible? He, Kurozawa, wasn't that kind of person.
The woman left, looking a bit disappointed. Her companions, who had also been eager to try their luck, showed similar disappointment, their gazes lingering on Kurozawa from time to time.
"What are you talking about? I'm asking you, did you really sense a Demon? Do you also have an Enhanced Sense of Smell like Senior Urokodaki?"
Kurozawa's gaze shifted to a four-story building, easily the most prominent among the many beautiful houses. "Something like that. There's a Demon's presence here, and it seems quite strong."
In his Fighting Spirit sense, the Demon's Fighting Spirit within that tall building was extremely condensed, at least at the Pillar level. Its concentration was comparable to Kanae's, and even significantly stronger.
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