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

It's not her fault.

The two sisters, who had originally promised to become swordsmen together and slay demons together, have now seen the older sister officially become a swordsman and go further and further, while Shinobu is unable to even pass the training.

She knew perfectly well that such strength was simply not enough to become a swordsman.

She can't even cut through this most basic rock now, let alone the demon's hard neck.

When my master was my age, he could cut through these rocks as easily as chopping melons and vegetables; my sister can cut through them now too, but she is still stuck in the same place.

If things continue like this, I'll not only be unable to fight alongside my sister, but I'm afraid I'll fall further and further behind.

Why can't I grow taller and stronger?

My older sister was much taller than she is now when she was this age. If she were even taller, she could wield even more power...

Shinobu returned to her room, sat alone in a corner, hugged her legs, buried her head deeply in her knees, and her small shoulders trembled slightly.

The door was gently pulled open, and Ling Chuanche walked in.

Seeing Ren hugging his knees and looking dejected, Ling Chuanche said softly, "I don't have any missions today, come with me for a walk."

"I'm not going," came a muffled voice from between his knees.

Ling Chuanche sighed, squatted down to her level, and gently patted her head.

Ren raised her head, her eyes red, like a wronged little rabbit.

"Master, am I really useless?"

“That’s completely untrue.” Ling Chuanche said calmly but firmly, “Rin is unique, and no one can replace you.”

"But why can't I even cut through the most basic rock?" Ren tilted his head, his eyes full of confusion and disappointment. "I don't feel sad that I can't compare to my sister, but I'm not even as good as other people my age. They are all Cangzhu's disciples, and I don't want others to look at me with disdain."

"Who looked down on you?" Ling Chuanche raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone inexplicably stern and protective. "Does the Demon Slayer Corps actually have someone like that? Who is it?"

Hearing his master's voice rise inexplicably, Ren buried his head back down and muttered softly, "No one is here... but I can already sense it."

Ling Chuanche breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that the little girl was just overthinking things.

"Ren, raise your head." Ling Chuanche's voice rang out again, much gentler than before.

Ren raised her head, revealing her reddened eyes.

Ling Chuanche reached out and gently wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes with his fingertips, the movement as gentle as touching a fragile petal.

"Don't cry, crying won't solve anything. Ren is a strong and capable child, and you don't need to prove that to anyone. You must always believe in yourself."

He stood up and held out his hand to her: "Come with me, Ren."

Ling Chuanche led Ren to a secluded hillside.

The sea of ​​flowers covering the mountains swayed in the wind, colorful butterflies fluttered around the flowers, and the sunshine felt warm and cozy on your skin.

Ling Chuanche and Ren sat side by side on the hillside, looking at the scenery before them. Ling Chuanche asked, "Are you feeling any better?"

Ren nodded and let out a long sigh: "Thank you, Master."

She paused, then her eyes hardened again: "I know you're trying to comfort me and give me some advice, I know that."

I will work even harder. If one year isn't enough, I'll try two; if two years isn't enough, I'll try three. As long as I put in more effort than others, I will definitely succeed.

"That's right, this is the Shinobu I know!" Ling Chuanche smiled and ruffled Shinobu's hair with his large hands, making it messy.

Ren was already used to it, but she sighed silently to herself, her hair had been messed up by her master and she would have to fix it later.

She secretly turned her head to look at the profile of the man beside her.

Sunlight fell on his handsome features; he was the person she trusted most and wanted to be closest to in this world.

Chapter 22 My Own Path

Ling Chuanche didn't notice the girl's gaze. He stared at the sea of ​​flowers swaying in the wind and said softly, "Let me tell you about my story."

Ren's eyes lit up instantly, and he nodded vigorously: "Okay!"

Ling Chuanche's gaze seemed to be lost in distant memories: "I was once just like you, going through a period of confusion and helplessness."

"Wait, wait!" Ren called out as soon as she opened her mouth, puffing out her cheeks as she said, "Master, even if you're trying to comfort me, you don't have to make things up! You can be confused too?"

Ling Chuanche chuckled and reached out to ruffle her hair: "Of course, I'm just an ordinary person."

Ren pursed her lips and fell silent, but in her heart she was silently complaining: If you're considered an ordinary person, then what are we?

Lingchuan Tetsu continued, "That was right after I joined the Demon Slayer Corps. For a while, I was just like you. I was stuck, watching the swordsmen of my batch grow stronger and stronger, while I couldn't make any progress... I tried all sorts of methods, training even harder and slaying demons even more frantically, but it was all in vain. Later I realized that Water Breathing wasn't right for me. I was just blindly following the path that Master Urokodaki had walked, but that path didn't belong to me."

A relieved smile appeared on his lips: "After figuring this out, I studied even harder, improved the Water Breathing technique, and developed the Azure Breathing technique that was more suitable for me, which is how I became the Azure Pillar."

She pursed her lips and remained silent.

Because he felt that the water breathing method was not suitable, he immediately developed a new breathing method and became a pillar. Is that human language?

"So, be patient!" Ling Chuan Che's smile faded as he looked earnestly at Kocho Shinobu. "The path you're walking now is simply the same path I once walked. Just because this path isn't suitable for you doesn't mean it's your fault. Sometimes, changing your perspective is key. If one path is blocked, you have to create your own!"

As he spoke, Ling Chuan Che took out the notebook of past users of Flower Breathing from his pocket, "This is the training method for another breathing technique."

Ren's eyes lit up, and he tentatively asked, "Is this for me?"

“It’s for you and Kanae,” Lingchuan Tetsu explained. “Water Breathing doesn’t bring out the advantages of your bodies. This Flower Breathing is a good match for Kanae, but it’s not the best choice for Shinobu.”

Ren's eyes dimmed again.

Ling Chuan Che continued, "Your strength is indeed weaker than that of your peers, but I don't think that's a weakness, but rather a strength."

Ren was taken aback, somewhat puzzled.

Then Lingchuan Che continued his analysis: "Your body has a lower muscle density, but you are faster and more agile. Kanae is not as good as you, and I was not as good as you at the same age."

If the breathing techniques of water and flowers don't work, then use your strengths to create your own path.

Ren Ting understood her master's words. Did her master want her to study breathing techniques on her own?

“I’ve been thinking about a possibility lately,” Ling Chuanche coaxed. “You and Kanae are both skilled in medicine. If you could create a poison that could kill evil spirits, and then inject the poison into their bodies at a speed that the evil spirits couldn’t react to, you could kill them too!”

Ren's eyes lit up immediately, because Ling Chuanche's words actually showed her an unprecedented possibility.

Lingchuan Tetsu continued, "Flower Breathing suits Kanae, but it can't bring out your speed advantage. If you improve the Flower Breathing technique and combine it with your knowledge of poison, I think you should be able to create a breathing method that is unique to you."

"thump!"

Renyi threw herself into Ling Chuanche's arms, burying her face in his chest, and said in a muffled voice, "Master, have you been thinking about me these past few days?"

Ling Chuanche thought about it seriously for a moment, then teased her on purpose: "Not entirely, I did think about Kanae occasionally too."

"Pfft."

He forced a smile through his tears.

She hugged Ling Chuanche's neck tightly, savoring the warmth: "Master, you are so good. Without you, I can't imagine what my sister and I would be like."

Ling Chuanche stroked Ren's hair, thinking to himself: Yes, without you guys, I don't even know what my life would be like.

The two of them held each other quietly like that.

However, as he held her, Ling Chuanche suddenly felt something was wrong.

He used to always endure it like this, never caring about these things.

From the very first time she met Ling Chuanche, she always liked to cling to him like a koala.

But at that time, she was only eight years old, just an innocent and carefree child.

Now, the girl in his arms has grown up so much.

Ling Chuanche could even clearly smell the faint fragrance in her hair, feel the soft curves of her body, and sense the warmth emanating from her through the thin fabric.

Ling Chuanche pursed his lips, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and finally gently pushed Shinobu away a little.

He suddenly realized that Shinobu and Kanae had grown up, and that he was a man.

As their master, I can no longer treat them without any restraint as I used to.

At this moment, the impulse to protect her and embrace her was mixed with a hint of excitement and restraint that even startled him.

"Master?" Ren tilted his head, blinking his big eyes, not understanding why his master suddenly pushed him away.

Ling Chuanche immediately changed the subject, concealing the unnaturalness in his eyes: "Let's see how to improve the breathing technique first."

Sure enough, when he heard Ling Chuanche bring up serious matters, Ren's mind immediately became serious.

But then she looked at her hands with some uncertainty: "Master, do you think I can really do it?"

Ling Chuan Che nodded firmly: "Of course. Even with my limited talent, I've reached this level. Shinobu and Kanae are far more talented than me, so how could they be inferior to me?"

Ren looked at the confident man in front of her and thought to herself: Isn't Master's talent high? Just by observing her, he was able to develop a breathing method suitable for her directly from her body. If such talent is not high, then what is?

Chapter 23 Insect Breathing

The first step in improving breathing techniques is for Shinobu Kocho to calmly learn about Flower Breathing. It doesn't require perfect mastery, but one must be thoroughly familiar with every movement and every breath.

For Shinobu, who has already learned Water Breathing, mastering Flower Breathing, which is also a branch of Water Breathing, is not difficult.

She was extremely talented and mastered the essentials of Flower Breathing in just a few days.

During these past few days, Ling Chuanche went on missions at night and came to this sea of ​​flowers every day without fail to accompany Kocho Shinobu during her training.

Day after day, without stopping.

He sensed the girl's longing and anxiety about the future, so he wanted to do everything he could to support her through this most difficult period of exploration.

Shinobu Kocho naturally saw all of Lingchuan Tetsu's hard work.

Seeing her master tirelessly accompany her as she practiced swordsmanship day after day, Shinobu was deeply moved and secretly vowed to work even harder.

Master worked so hard for her sake. Only by truly finding her own path can she repay Master's painstaking efforts and ensure that Master's hard work during this period was not in vain.

On this day, Shinobu Kocho stood alone in the middle of a sea of ​​flowers.

Ling Chuanche has gone on a mission and is not here.

As usual, Shinobu Kocho should have gone back to rest by now, but she secretly slipped out.

Ling Chuanche had no idea that Ren trained during the day and obediently went home to rest at night, but in fact she secretly ran out to practice every night.

Just as Ling Chuanche worked tirelessly day and night for her, she was determined not to let Ling Chuanche down.