Demon Slayer: After raising Shinobu, I died in front of her.

Seeing her so disappointed, Ling Chuan Che stroked his chin and turned to look at the older Kanae: "Kanae, do you also want to go?"

Kanae paused for a moment, then her eyes lit up, but she still said sensibly in a soft voice, "Master must have a lot of things to do, so let's not cause any trouble."

Looking at the two sensible children, Ling Chuanche's heart softened.

"If Kanae and Shinobu really want to go, then let's go for a few days," Lingchuan Tetsu said with a smile, making the decision. "Just think of it as a trip to Mount Sagiri to rest and relax. Master will be very happy."

"Great!"

Shinobu jumped up happily, her earlier disappointment instantly vanishing.

Chapter 15: Conflict

With the Lunar New Year approaching, Lingchuan Tetsu, along with Kanae and Shinobu, embarked on their journey to Mount Sagiri.

His master, Mr. Urokodaki Sakonji, was the previous Water Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps.

When Lingchuan Che was all alone, he was adopted by Urokodaki and learned breathing techniques. He worked his way up from the lowest level of swordsman to become the "Azure Pillar" he is today.

My master, Urokodaki Sakonji, deserves much credit for my achievements today.

Halfway up Mount Xiaowu, in front of a simple little wooden house.

When Ling Chuanche knocked on the door, a middle-aged man wearing a tengu mask opened it.

“Master.” Ling Chuanche looked at the man in front of him, a long-lost smile appearing on his face.

Upon seeing the young man standing at the door, a flicker of confusion crossed Urokodaki Sakonji's eyes: "Tetsu?"

Ling Chuan Che smiled and stepped aside: "Kanae, Shinobu, come and pay your respects to your master."

It was only then that Urokodaki Sakonji noticed that there were two adorable little girls following behind Ryukawa Tetsuya.

Kanae and Shinobu bowed respectfully to Sakonji Urokodaki, saying, "Greetings, Master."

"They are..." Urokodaki Sakonji looked at Ryukawa Tetsu with a puzzled expression.

"My newly accepted disciple."

"Oh, come in, come in!" Urokodaki Sakonji snapped out of his daze and warmly invited the group into the house.

Once inside, Kanae behaved very well, sitting upright and proper, just like the "other people's child" that parents always talked about.

Ren looked around curiously, curious about everything in the room.

Lingchuan Che told them to go and play as they pleased. After the two little ones ran off, only Lingchuan Che and Urokodaki Sakonji remained in the house.

"Why the long face? Master, you didn't expect me to come back?" Ling Chuanche teased with a smile.

“Yes.” Urokodaki Sakonji poured tea for Ryukawa Tetsuya while remarking, “You never came back when I wrote to you every year before. Why did you decide to come back this time? There must be a lot of things to do in the team during the New Year.”

Writing letters to Lingchuan Tetsuya during the New Year has been a long-standing habit of Urokodaki Sakonji. He simply wants his lonely disciple to know that there is always a home waiting for him here.

In previous years, Ling Chuanche had always refused, citing his heavy workload. Although he wrote a letter this time as well, he never expected that Ling Chuanche would actually come back.

“It’s Kanae and Shinobu,” said Lingchuan Tetsu, holding a cup of hot tea. “I brought them here to meet our sect.”

"I never imagined you'd take on disciples." Urokodaki Sakonji looked at his disciple with a look full of emotion.

When I took Ling Chuanche in, it was only because I felt sorry for the child, who was homeless and wandering around searching for the enemy who killed his sister.

Ling Chuanche's talent is actually not that great; he belongs to the most ordinary type of person.

In Urokodaki's opinion, even if someone with such talent joined the Demon Slayer Corps, they probably wouldn't even pass the final selection.

But Ling Chuanche persevered day after day, sleeping only four hours a day and spending the rest of his time training.

Ultimately, with this extraordinary perseverance, he has come this far and become Cangzhu.

"It's not easy for you to come back. What would you like to eat today? I'll go and prepare it for you."

"Oden, please," Lingchuan Tetsu thought for a moment, "I haven't had it in a long time."

"it is good."

Urokodaki Sakon got up to prepare the ingredients, and grabbed a lot of them along the way.

Seeing this, Ling Chuanche asked in confusion, "There are four of us, do we really need to eat this much?"

"Who told you there were four people?" Urokodaki Sakonji glanced at him. "You haven't come back to visit even once in all these years. You don't even know how many people are here with me now."

Ling Chuanche asked curiously, "Master has taken on another disciple?"

Urokodaki Sakonji hummed in agreement: "They're still training in the back mountains. You'll see them tonight. I plan to have them participate in the final selection next year."

Ling Chuanche nodded slightly, feeling a little curious about his two junior brothers whom he had never met before.

Sitting in the house, the master and apprentice talked about some ghosts they had recently encountered.

When he heard that Toru Ryukawa had recently killed a Lower Moon demon, Sakonji Urokodaki couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

Killing one of the Twelve Demon Moons can save at least dozens of families.

The requirements for becoming a "Pillar" in the Demon Slayer Corps are either to slay fifty demons or to slay a Lower Moon demon, which shows the danger posed by the Twelve Demon Moons.

Just as the two were catching up inside, a loud argument suddenly broke out outside.

One of the voices was Ren's, while the other was somewhat unfamiliar.

Ling Chuanche was taken aback. Who was Ren arguing with?

Wait a minute! He suddenly remembered what his master had just mentioned about the disciples training in the back mountain.

No way...

He turned his head and exchanged a glance with Urokodaki Sakonji. The two of them immediately got up and went out to check.

……

"Can't you see where you're going?! There's someone in front of you, can't you see? Keep your head down and keep walking!"

On the hillside, Shinobu Kocho was grabbing a boy by the collar, looking menacing.

The boy looked timid and at a loss.

Hey! What are you doing!

Just then, another boy wearing a fox mask rushed up from behind and grabbed Shinobu's wrist: "Where did you come from, you wild child? Let go of me!"

Ren glared at him, gritting his teeth as he said, word by word, "Who are you calling a wild child!"

“You…” Sabito looked at the angry Shinobu, but the words he was about to say suddenly got stuck in his throat.

At this moment, Kanae Kocho walked over with a serious expression, blocking Shinobu's path and staring directly at Sabito: "First of all, your brother just ran over and bumped into my sister, and even broke our things! Also, my sister isn't a wild child, you must apologize for what you just said!"

"I don't want him to apologize, sister!" she shouted angrily, gripping the object in her hand even tighter.

Sabito glanced at Giyuu Tomioka, who was being grabbed by the collar by Shinobu Kocho and looked completely lost, and gritted his teeth, saying, "We'll pay you back for whatever you broke!"

Gritting his teeth, he raised the jade pendant with a chipped corner, his brows furrowed in a cold glare: "This jade pendant was a gift from my master! You broke it, what are you going to give me in return!"

"I'm sorry..." Giyu Tomioka lowered his head, his voice barely audible. "I really didn't see it. I really didn't mean to."

"Is it enough to just say it wasn't intentional? Then if I beat you up, and you say it wasn't intentional, would that be enough too?"

"My junior brother has already apologized, what more do you want!" Qian Tu exclaimed anxiously. "I already said I'd compensate you for the broken items, isn't that enough?!"

"We don't need you to pay us back!"

Kanae's expression grew increasingly cold; the gentle smile that usually graced her face had vanished, replaced by an unwavering firmness: "You were in the wrong first, yet you speak to my sister with such an air of entitlement."

You must apologize to us immediately! Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!

Chapter 16: Idol

Ren was very angry.

This piece of jade was a gift from her master! To her, it was not just a cold stone, but also carried her master's heartfelt wishes.

But now, it's been smashed to pieces by a reckless guy who suddenly appeared out of nowhere!

The treasure I had barely warmed was now broken and incomplete.

What are you arguing about?

Lingchuan Tetsu's gentle voice came from afar, and he was walking over with Urokodaki Sakonji.

For some reason, Ren, who had been furious and looked like a cat with its fur standing on end, suddenly burst into tears the moment she saw Ling Chuanche. She burst into Ling Chuanche's arms with a "waah," tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls: "Master! These two guys who appeared out of nowhere broke the jade you bought me and even called me a wild child!"

She looked up, her face streaked with tears, and held the chipped jade in her hand to Ling Chuanche, sobbing pitifully, "Master, look..."

Not far away, Sabito and Giyu Tomioka stared in disbelief, unable to comprehend how the "little devil" who had been so arrogant and seemed ready to devour them had suddenly become so weak and pitiful.

Wild child?

Ling Chuanche didn't immediately look at the jade stone, but instead keenly caught another word in Ren's words.

How dare you say that his patience is that of a wild child?

“Master…” Ren hugged Ling Chuanche’s arm, her big eyes red and swollen as she looked at him, looking pitiful.

Ling Chuanche pondered for a moment, then gently patted her head before taking the jade stone and examining it carefully.

"It's broken, Master..." Shinobu's voice was choked with sobs.

"It's alright, it's not badly damaged, your master can fix it for you," Ling Chuanche reassured him softly.

Upon hearing Shinobu's accusation, Urokodaki Sakonji's expression instantly turned stern: "Sabito, Giyu!"

“Teacher…” Sabito and Giyu walked over obediently with their heads down.

"Apologize!"

Giyu and Sabito immediately bowed deeply to Shinobu, saying, "I'm sorry!"

“It’s alright, teacher,” Ling Chuanche raised his head and gave a forgiving smile. “It’s normal for children to fight occasionally.”

Urokodaki Sakonji squatted down and gently patted Shinobu's head: "I'm sorry, Shinobu. They accidentally broke your things and said those things. It's all because those two brats are used to running wild here. If you're still not satisfied, you can go and beat them up. They definitely won't dare to fight back."

Giyuu's body visibly trembled, and Sabito pursed his lips, not daring to utter a sound.

"Are they your disciples?" Ren tilted his head and asked curiously.

"Hmm." Urokodaki Sakonji nodded slightly.