Muzan: My daughter can't be that weak!

Yukina sat quietly by the door, her small body curled up in a ball, her hands supporting her cheeks, her eyes fixed on the doorway, occasionally turning her head to look at Muzan, who was recovering with his eyes closed.

My father looks... really seriously ill.

Are you sure it's okay?

My father clearly said he wouldn't die...

She tilted her head, perhaps because sitting here was too boring, and Yukina began to miss her mother and Yuko.

By the way, when was the last time I saw Yuko-neechan?

Ah, I remember now.

She begged her father to take her there.

After she woke up that time, for some reason, she really, really wanted to see Yuko-neechan.

She tugged at her father's sleeve and whispered, "Father... can you take me to see Yuko-neechan? Just for a glimpse, I promise I'll be good."

My father was reading at the time, and without even looking up, he coldly said, "Troublesome."

But she didn't let go; instead, she gripped his sleeve even tighter, her crimson eyes gazing at him expectantly.

A long time passed, so long that she thought her father would ignore her no longer, before he finally put down his book and glanced at her.

"Just one look," he said. "No making a sound, and no getting off the carriage."

She nodded vigorously, her eyes lighting up instantly.

The horse-drawn carriage moved slowly through the streets at night.

She clung to the window, her eyes wide open.

The outside world was not quite the same as she remembered; the buildings were taller, and the people on the street were wearing different clothes.

Even after so many years, even though Yuko's hair has turned completely white, her back is hunched, and her walking posture has changed.

She recognized him at a glance.

That's Yuko-neechan.

The girl who secretly gave her candy when she was sick, who comforted her when she cried, and who was the only one who would still smile at her after she lost her mother.

Xue Nai's nose suddenly felt sore, and her vision blurred instantly.

She remembered that Yuko-neechan wasn't like this before.

Her hair was clearly jet black, but she would tie it into a beautiful bun with a red ribbon. She walked very fast, and her skirt would flutter like a butterfly. When she smiled, her eyes would curve into crescent moons.

But now, Yuko's hair is as white as snow in winter, her back is bent like a ripe rice stalk, and she is supported by a young woman when she walks, taking each step very slowly and carefully.

Just as the carriage passed by, Yuko happened to look up and glance in her direction.

Yukina's heart suddenly stopped beating.

Even though the night was dark, and even though Yuko had aged beyond her memory, when those eyes looked over, Yukina felt that Yuko recognized her.

Those wrinkled eyes widened for a moment, flashing with surprise, followed by a complex emotion that Yukina couldn't decipher.

Yuko's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but the carriage had already driven past.

Yukina instinctively turned around, pressing her entire face against the carriage, her eyes fixed on the receding figure.

She wanted to wave and call out Yuko's name, but she remembered her father's order not to make a sound.

She could only watch as Yuko's figure grew smaller and smaller in the glow of the lanterns, becoming increasingly blurry, until it finally disappeared into the darkness at the street corner.

The carriage continued on its way, and she kept looking back until she could see nothing at all.

"Have you seen enough?" The father's voice came from across the room, cold and indifferent.

She turned to look at her father and whispered, "Yuko-neechan... has gotten old."

The father didn't say anything, but simply picked up the book again.

"Everyone gets old," he said after a while, his eyes still on the pages of the book, "and then dies."

Yukina lowered her head and remained silent.

She knew what death meant. Her mother was dead and never came back.

And now? How much time has passed since then?

Xue Na tried to count on her fingers, but couldn't figure it out.

All she knew was that a very, very long time had passed, so long that Yuko might no longer be around.

Thinking about this, she felt a little depressed.

But she quickly shook her head; now was not the time to think about such things.

Her father was injured, and she didn't want to cause him any more trouble.

Yukina lowered her head and looked at her wrist. The spot where she had been bitten didn't hurt much anymore, leaving only a pink mark.

She touched it gently with her fingers.

really weird.

She bled so much, but now it's almost undetectable.

Is this the strength her father gave her?

She glanced at Muzan again, stealing a look.

Although my father was always fierce and spoke harshly, but...

Xue Nai suddenly remembered what her mother had told her when she was a child.

That day, she hid behind her mother because she was afraid of the old woman in the yard who always swept the floor with a stern face.

Mom squatted down, patted her head, and said, "Some people may look fierce, but they're actually very kind-hearted. Grandma glares at you every time because she's afraid you'll run too fast and fall."

Later she found that her mother was right.

Although the old lady always seemed to be saying "leave me alone," she would secretly leave a small bowl of honey water at the door of her room whenever she coughed.

My father must have been like that too.

Although he always told her to get lost, and although he always had a cold face and never smiled at her...

But he never actually threw her out.

Xue Nai rested her chin on her knees and blinked.

I wish I could stay with my father forever.

Although we can't sunbathe, we can go out together to watch the moon at night.

The moon is so beautiful, so silvery-white, like the little pearls embroidered on my mother's old clothes.

She imagined that scene:

Her father held her hand as they walked in the quiet courtyard at night.

The moonlight would cast their shadows long and long, and although her father's hands would certainly still be cold, she would not let go.

As she thought about it, a small smile quietly crept onto Xue Nai's lips.

But just then, drowsiness suddenly surged up like a tide.

That's strange... She's only been awake for a short time.

My eyelids are getting heavier and heavier, and my head is bobbing up and down like a chick pecking at rice.

She blinked hard, trying to stay awake and continue watching over her father, but her body wouldn't obey her.

Her consciousness grew increasingly blurred, and her little head tilted forward little by little. Just as she was about to hit the floor, a cold hand caught her forehead in time.

Muzan opened his eyes at some point, a hint of confusion flashing in them.

He caught Yukina's head as it slumped down, and the next second, the girl softly fell into his arms and fell completely asleep.

She unconsciously rubbed against his chest, found a comfortable position, and her breathing quickly became even and long.

Muzan looked down at Yukina in his arms, his brows furrowing slightly.

Not right.

Based on her past patterns, after sleeping for decades, she should remain conscious for at least ten days to half a month after waking up.

But how much time has passed? Half a day? Or a few hours?

His gaze fell on Xue Nai's wrist.

The bite mark has almost healed, leaving only a very faint pink trace.

But a demon's recovery ability shouldn't be this slow.

Muzan's fingertips gently brushed across the shallow mark.

He had transformed into so many demons, even the weakest low-level demons, whose wounds of this severity would heal in a few breaths. But Yukina's wounds healed much more slowly.

Is it because... they've never eaten a human?

This thought made him frown even more.

The power and regenerative abilities of demons largely depend on the life energy they obtain by devouring human flesh and blood.

Sustaining on his blood alone is like watering a plant but not fertilizing it; it can survive, but it won't thrive.

And just now, she foolishly bled herself.

Stupid thing.

Muzan looked at the sleeping little face in his arms, the face still bearing dried tear stains, and the brows furrowed unconsciously even in sleep, as if having some unsettling dream.

"What an idiot."

He said in a low voice, his voice filled with undisguised disdain, "Even if I really need blood, with your small body, it wouldn't even be enough to fill a tooth gap if you dried it out."

He recalled how Xue Nai had bitten her wrist earlier.

Despite being terrified of the pain, tears streaming down her face, she gritted her teeth and stubbornly pressed her bleeding wrist against his lips.

madness.

ridiculous.

Muzan's fingertip hovered near Yukina's cheek, not touching her, but simply lingering there.

How could his daughter be so weak!

Among the ghosts he transformed into, there had never been one this weak.

They have poor recovery ability, short periods of consciousness, and almost no strength.

She put so much effort into biting her own wrist just now; if she were to bite someone, she probably wouldn't even be able to break the skin.

Could it be that she took after her mother?

Her name seems to be Seri.

Muzan tried hard to recall what the woman looked like, but found that his memory was so blurred that it was as if he were looking through a layer of fog.

I only vaguely remember her as a gentle, somewhat timid woman who always kept her head down, spoke in a very soft voice, and whose eyes were always filled with sadness.

He couldn't remember what she looked like, her tone of voice, or even how she died.

From Yukina's face, one can vaguely discern her features; her eyes and nose resemble his, while the rest of her features probably resemble her mother's.

Weak, foolish, and driven by emotions.

Muzan withdrew his hand and closed his eyes again.

The little body in his arms was very light, and its even breathing brushed against his clothes.

He should have just tossed her aside, but in the end he simply adjusted her position to make her more comfortable.

Forget it.

Let her sleep like that.

We'll figure out what to do with this troublesome little thing once he's fully recovered.

Silence returned to the room. Only the two of them breathed, one softly and one heavily, their sounds intertwining in the dim light.