Demon Slayer: My breathing technique went awry after Nezuko pushed me down.

"Sakonji, what's going on with you? Two of your apprentices are learning Water Breathing, one with a black sword and the other with a pink sword, not even a blue sword?"

Before his master could explain, Shirakawa Yu said, "I didn't learn Water Breathing."

"Not Water Breathing?" Steel Mound asked, even more curious.

"Sakonji, you know something else? Tell me, what breathing technique did you teach your apprentice?"

This statement was a perfect example of hitting a landmine; a vein instantly bulged beneath Urokodaki's mask.

“It’s none of your business,” he said curtly.

"How is it unrelated?" Steel Tomb got excited.

"I'm a swordsmith! Understanding the user's breathing techniques helps with sword forging! Tell me quickly, what exactly is this pink color—"

"Leave as soon as you've delivered the knife," Urokodaki interrupted him, his tone dripping with murderous intent. "We don't keep guests in the mountains."

Steel Mound paused, a puff of hot air escaping from the crooked-mouthed fire man mask, "...Are you kicking me out?"

"Correct."

"I came all the way from here—"

"Walk."

Seeing the aura of "I'll chop you up if you ask again" emanating from Urokodaki, Steelzuka wisely shut his mouth.

He turned around and patted the relatively younger Tie Xuesen on the shoulder. "Let's go, let's go. Someone doesn't welcome us."

Tiexuesen quickly bowed and took his leave.

The two descended the mountain one after the other, and Iron Tomb even turned back to call out halfway down.

"Kid! Black knife it is! Use it well! Don't let my knife down! And if you dare to break my knife, I'll kill you."

A bead of sweat trickled down Tanjiro's forehead as he hurriedly replied, "Yes! Mr. Hidetsuka! I will definitely take good care of him!"

Bai Chuanyu rolled his eyes, thinking, "Cherish my ass."

If it were truly cherished, the Steel Tomb wouldn't have become the ultimate Ju-on.

Once the two figures disappeared around the bend in the mountain path, Urokodaki finally let out a long sigh of relief and led them back to the house.

I'll keep it a secret for another day; at least I won't be utterly disgraced in front of my old friends today.

He turned to Shirakawa Yu with some disdain, the tengu mask facing him directly.

"When will you let me see your new move?" he said.

Shirakawa Yu smiled as he fastened the twin swords to his waist.

On the left, a Makomo sword; on the right, a new katana—the symmetry is almost obsessive. "Anytime is fine. If you want to see it, we can do it now—"

He hadn't finished speaking.

"Gah—!"

The piercing cawing of crows came from outside.

Two ravens swooped down, one entirely black, the other with grayish-white tips on its wings.

The black crow flapped its wings and landed on the floor, opening its mouth to utter a series of rapid-fire words:

"Tanjiro Kamado! I am issuing the order now."

"Head to the town in the northwest, where girls are going missing one after another."

"Find the ghost lurking there and kill it!"

"Tanjiro Kamado, you must act with extreme caution!"

"This is your first mission as a demon hunter!"

"The crow...speaks?" Tanjiro was a little stunned by this barrage of information. "The...first mission."

On the other side, a grey-white raven landed on the windowsill.

It didn't speak immediately, but first slowly preened its feathers, then glanced at Shirakawa Yu with its bean-like black eyes.

Bai Chuanyu: "...?"

The raven hopped a little, turned around, its rear end facing him, and spit out a few words with a haughty air:

"Asakusa Castle. Rumors say a demon lurks there. Shirakawa Yu, go there."

After saying that, it flapped its wings and flew away with a "whoosh," leaving behind a cold and indifferent silhouette.

Shirakawa Yu had no interest in paying attention to this aloof, chuunibyou-ish raven named Siming.

His mind went blank when he heard the words "Asakusa Castle".

Chapter 32 The First Mission of the Master and Disciple.

Upon hearing the words "Asakusa Castle".

Bai Chuanyu's mind was buzzing, and his heart skipped a few beats.

Muzan.

Ghost Dance Tsuji Mukai.

That old schemer who's been hiding for over a thousand years.

Right now, in Asakusa Castle, he's disguised as a human gentleman, living a respectable life with his "wife" and "daughter" in search of the Blue Spider Lily.

This was supposed to be Tanjiro's second urgent mission after he had dealt with the Swamp Demon.

But now... there's another version of myself.

The lord has clearly separated these two tasks.

I gave one to myself and the other to Tanjiro.

It seems reasonable, but...

He has to face Muzan alone...

What a joke!

You'll die, you know!

So... he immediately turned his gaze intently to Tanjiro.

The young man shivered violently under their gaze...

One hour later...

On the mountain road leading away from the mountain.

Tanjiro kept turning back to look at himself, his expression conflicted as if he had swallowed a bitter melon.

"Senior brother... is this really going to work? The Crow clearly told us to split up..."

Walking ahead, Shirakawa Yu carried a specially made lightweight wooden box on his back—

It was prepared long ago by Urokodaki and made of a kind of light yet strong wood.

At this moment, Nezuko has shrunk to the size of a small bean and is sleeping comfortably inside.

Before leaving, Shirakawa Yu had specially laid out soft mattresses inside to prevent Nezuko from being bounced around like... Nezuko-chan~

"Why not?" Shirakawa Yu said without turning his head. "It's on the way anyway."

“Let’s go to your town first, settle things after dark, and then travel through the night. We should arrive at Asakusa Castle by tomorrow evening.”

He paused, turned his head to the side, and gave a smile that said, "I'm doing all this for your own good."

"Besides, what if the ghost over there is a formidable opponent, and you can't handle it by yourself? I'll be there to back you up."

"I can handle this!" Tanjiro gripped the hilt of his sword, his crimson eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

"I'm not the same person I was two years ago!"

"Yes, yes, our Tanjiro is the best." Shirakawa Yu waved his hand dismissively.

So hurry up, don't dawdle.

Tanjiro jogged to catch up, still uneasy. "But the team rules..."

"Team rules are rules, but people are flexible."

Shirakawa Yu interrupted him, then appealed to his emotions and reason.

"You see, even if I don't go with you, I can definitely get to Asakusa by tomorrow morning."

"But how can I find ghosts in broad daylight? Don't I have to wait until night? In the meantime, am I supposed to squat on the ground counting ants?"

"Following you will not only help you, but also save me half a day of boredom. It's a win-win situation."

Tanjiro pouted, "I don't need your help—"

"Shut up."

"Can--"

Shirakawa Yu suddenly stopped, turned around, narrowed his eyes slightly, and put on that familiar, chilling smile that Tanjiro knew so well.

"Tanjiro, you... don't want to be separated from Nezuko, right?"

Tanjiro instantly became alert: "What do you mean?"

"It means..."

Shirakawa Yu gently patted the wooden box behind him, from which came Nezuko's murmured words in her sleep.

"Nezuko is with me now. If you insist on going your separate ways, then I'll take Nezuko to Asakusa. You can go do your mission by yourself, how about that?"

"Why?!" Tanjiro instantly exploded, "I'm her brother!"

“You can’t beat me,” Shirakawa Yu said, holding up his fingers and counting them off one by one. “You can’t outrun me, and you know who Nezuko wants to see first when she wakes up.”

Tanjiro(▼Van▼#): “!!!”

"So that's why." Shirakawa Yu patted Tanjiro's head with a smile.

"Let's go together, and after we're done, we'll go to Asakusa together. You're good, I'm good, Nezuko is good."