"It's a pleasure to cooperate, Miss Tamayo. Thank you for trusting me so much," Lady Li said with a slight smile.
"The pleasure is mine. Earlier, you mentioned you could give me your blood. Is there something different about it?" Tamayo recalled another point Li had made earlier.
"My blood can break down Muzan's cells. You can try taking a sip. Come on, bite gently." Li extended a hand to Tamayo.
Tamayo hesitated. What if she lost control after taking a bite?
Seeing Tamayo's prolonged hesitation, Li directly placed her hand into Tamayo's mouth. She then gripped Tamayo's chin and closed her mouth forcefully, causing a large amount of blood to flow from her arm.
Yushiro, enraged, exclaimed, "You scoundrel! How dare you disrespect Lady Tamayo and defile her!"
Li paid no mind to Yushiro, whose mind was solely occupied by Tamayo. With her other hand, she used the power of the Heavenly Dao to slap Yushiro unconscious, deeming him a nuisance.
Under Li's actions, Tamayo clearly felt that the Muzan cells within her body had been perfectly resolved. Simultaneously, she experienced another strange sensation.
"Mr. Li, I never imagined your blood was so special. Were you sent by heaven to save humanity?"
Li calmly took a sip of black tea. "I wasn't sent by heaven; I came on my own. Now that you've drunk my blood, you are completely free from Muzan. You can eat like a normal person, without needing to drink blood, and you can even bask in the sun. Do you understand the preciousness of this blood?"
Tamayo gasped, "Bask in the sun? Is this what all demons crave? It's too terrifying. This blood must never fall into the hands of Muzan or any other demon. Mr. Li, I only need a single drop of your blood. I don't need much; I fear I won't be able to protect it."
"Rest assured, only the blood I give willingly will have this effect. Furthermore, demons who drink my blood are under my control; I can kill them at any time. Currently, only Nezuko and you have drunk my blood. I can give some to Yushiro so you can experience sunlight. You should study it well."
Tamayo understood that there was no free lunch in the world. Drinking Li's blood meant relinquishing control over her life and death to Li, a price that had to be paid. Since she was already a sinner, she didn't mind.
Although Li was willing to give Tamayo more blood for research, Tamayo still refused to take too much, and Li eventually relented.
Afterward, Li inquired about information regarding the demons in the vicinity, assuming Tamayo would know something.
"From what I know, fishermen often disappear on an island to the east. I believe it's called Tajima. Mr. Li, you might want to investigate there."
With a clear destination, Li saw no need to linger in the town and prepared to head to Tajima immediately.
As they parted, Li suddenly turned and said, "Miss Tamayo, your red lips are very sweet. Don't think about dying just yet. Yushiro needs your presence; he lives for you. Please cherish the person before you."
Tamayo's eyes welled up. She had personally killed her husband and children; did she deserve anyone's love? She turned to look at Yushiro on the ground and softly whispered, "I'm sorry."
...
It was now around midnight. Li bought a boat and set sail eastward. The sea was rough at night, with waves buffeting Li's boat, causing her to vomit.
"Damn it, sailing out late at night is really not suitable, but demons only move at night. I really hate this demon overseas."
"Xingxing, I think you could have sailed out during the day when the wind was calm and stayed on the island for a night!"
Li felt awkward and instantly became angry. "So you're the smart one, the capable one. Why didn't you remind me earlier? You're only saying it now."
"I thought you knew!"
"Damn it! How can you be so cunning? Who did you learn that from!" Li argued with Li Yun while still vomiting.
After a night of drifting, Li finally arrived at an island. It was too arduous; she had been vomiting all night.
"Tamayo didn't explain clearly that it would take this long to reach this island. What a waste of a night," Li grumbled, anchoring the boat, attributing the cunning to Tamayo as well.
It was daytime now, and demons wouldn't be active. Li had no choice but to sleep on the island and quietly await the night.
"Li Yun, play me a piano piece. That 'Sorekara no Omoide' will do. Loop it. I want to sleep. Wake me up when it's night." Li Yun could play music from Li's mind, eliminating the need for headphones, which was too inconvenient—a function Li had discovered while fishing the previous day.
...
When night fell, Li was awakened by a sharp pain. Li Yun had circulated the Heavenly Dao within Li's body, as Li was sleeping too soundly for conventional methods to work.
"Damn it, Li Yun, couldn't you be a bit gentler? It hurts like hell. Am I going to die before even encountering a demon?"
Despite her complaints, Li's guard was up. Gripping Xingyun, she walked deeper into the island. At this moment, Li could sense a potent demonic aura.
After a fruitless search through the woods, Li grew agitated by the elusive demon. "Annoying hiding little demon."
Suddenly, a beam of red light shot down from the sky. Li sensed it and quickly leaped backward. The red beam struck the ground, creating a deep crater.
Li saw clearly that it was a red arrow. "This is not good. The demon has found me, but I still haven't found it."
Following that, dozens more arrows rained down. Li dodged frantically. Without knowing the demon's location, it was not advisable to attack directly; she had to remain vigilant of her surroundings.
Just as Li finished dodging the arrows, hundreds more fell from the sky.
Li roared in anger, "Damn it, you coward hiding in the shadows, are you never going to stop! Come out and fight me!"
Li instantly drew her sword and slashed at the sky!
"Snow Breathing, Third Form: Crushing Snow!"
Just as she extinguished the hundreds of arrows, thousands more rained down. Li was furious, extremely angry, and the number kept increasing, more than the last.
"Blood Demon Art: Spatial Lock!"
Li unleashed the Greedy Blood Demon Art. Spatial power was the supreme law of the world, a special ability that effectively countered this barrage of arrows. With no Kasugai Crow present, Li could afford to be reckless.
"Beast Breathing, Seventh Form: Spatial Perception!"
Having sealed the space, Li did not let down her guard. She immediately used Beast Breathing's Spatial Perception at maximum power, attempting to locate the hidden demon.
Suddenly, Li looked up sharply, her gaze fixed on the northern part of the island. A sinister smile spread across her face. "Found you, little demon. You really made me work hard to find you! Prepare to die!"
Li sprang forward and dashed in the direction of the demon.
The demon, realizing it had been discovered, immediately shot out arrows to obstruct Li's vision, intending to relocate.