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

Not wanting to disappoint her master, striving to keep up with her sister's pace, and living up to the name of Shinobu Kocho's disciple... all of this had long become the most steadfast belief in Shinobu's heart.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then, holding her Nichirin Blade, began to perform the Flower Breathing technique again and again amidst the sea of ​​flowers.

Her master's words kept echoing in her mind—"Find your own path..."

He swung the knife tirelessly, again and again.

In her extreme focus and exhaustion, Shinobu Kocho seemed to truly become one with the sea of ​​flowers, transforming into a real butterfly.

Her lithe figure moved nimbly among the lush flowers; with each leap and turn, she seemed like a butterfly fluttering in the wind.

Before she knew it, colorful butterflies had gathered around her, dancing along with the tip of her knife.

Finally, in a fleeting moment, Shinobu Kocho seized upon the flash of inspiration that had been igniting in her mind!

Then she felt an unprecedented lightness in her body, as if she had broken free from the constraints of gravity and was about to fly away.

Her body moved as lightly as a butterfly, and in the next instant, she thrust forward with an extremely gentle yet swift force, the tip of her blade drawing a beautiful arc in the air!

"Insect Breathing, Butterfly Dance, Teasing!"

After the attack, her body turned around instantly with a strange and agile movement, her toes lightly touching the ground. At this moment, she was not as gentle as a butterfly, but instantly revealed a deadly edge, like a venomous bee with its stinger exposed!

"Insect Breathing, Bee Fang Dance, True Dance!"

After the two strikes, the surrounding petals were swept up by the surging air currents and fluttered down.

Shinobu stood in the center of the sea of ​​flowers, slowly sheathing her sword.

She looked at her slightly trembling yet powerful hands, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Those were tears of extreme joy and relief. She did it!

She finally found it!

"Master..."

Ren raised her head, looking in the direction Ling Chuanche had left, and a bright smile bloomed on her face like never before.

......

"I'm back!"

After a mission that lasted for more than half a month, Kanae, who was finally able to return home, couldn't wait to push open the door.

"Master! Endure!"

She shouted excitedly twice, but the yard was very quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

"Huh? Aren't they both home?" Kanae sighed with some disappointment. It was really unfortunate that she had finally come back, only to find that her master and Shinobu were not there.

Never mind, let's just wait for them to come back.

As she was walking into the house, suddenly, a sharp figure sprang up from the shadows of the trees to her side!

The speed was astonishing; by the time Kanae sensed the presence, the other party had already closed in on her side!

"Insect Breathing, Bee Fang Dance, True Dance!"

Kanae instinctively raised her Nichirin Blade to block, and with a crisp "clang," she was forced back several steps upon contact, her hand slightly numb.

She steadied herself, looked up wondering who had attacked her, and was immediately shocked when she saw that familiar smiling face: "Ren!"

"Sister!" Shinobu sheathed his sword and stood still, looking at his sister with a smile, his eyes full of cunning and anticipation.

"Shinobu, what was that just now?" Kanae asked in surprise. What Shinobu had just used was definitely not Water Breathing.

Shinobu Kocho ran over like a cheerful little bird and grabbed Kanae's hand: "That's Insect Breathing, a breathing technique that I developed over the past two weeks, a breathing method unique to me!"

Insect Breathing? Developed in half a month? A breathing technique unique to ninja?

Why is it that Kanae recognizes every single word in this text, but can't understand it when they're put together?

I couldn't wait to tell Kanae what had happened in the past two weeks.

Kanae listened quietly to Shinobu's story, and the way she looked at Shinobu gradually changed.

Although Shinobu was smiling, Kanae could see through that smile the countless drops of sweat, the torment of the night, and the indescribable pain she had endured to take this step.

Kanae's eyes reddened. She reached out and gently stroked Shinobu's head, her voice choked with emotion: "Shinobu is wonderful... I'm so lucky to have a sister like you."

"Oh, right, sister!" Shinobu seemed to remember something and took out a notebook from her bosom and handed it to her. "This is what Master asked me to give you. Master said that Water Breathing is not a perfect match for us, and Flower Breathing is more suitable for you, sister."

Master?

Kanae took the notebook, which still held the warmth of Shinobu's body, and her eyes instantly reddened again; she felt like crying once more.

During the two weeks she was away, she did her best to kill many ghosts and save many people, earning the gratitude of many villagers.

She thought she was almost ready to stand on her own and become a qualified swordsman that her master could trust.

But at that very moment, as she stood in her own yard holding this notebook, she suddenly realized that no matter how strong she became outside, no matter how many evil spirits she slayed, in this home, in front of her master and sister, she would always be that little girl who would be remembered, cared for, and cherished.

She suppressed a smile and said, "Master knew you would be back in the next few days, so he specially asked for leave for you. Master wants you to stop going on missions until you have fully mastered Flower Breathing, and focus on your cultivation."

"Ok!"

Clutching the heavy notebook tightly in her hand, Kanae nodded vigorously, a relieved smile spreading across her face.

Chapter 24 Alienation

Long ago, Kanae had vaguely sensed that when she used Water Breathing, a very subtle and awkward feeling would always arise deep within her body.

This feeling wasn't obvious, but in certain subtle movements that required extreme flexibility, it prevented her from doing things completely at will.

Upon seeing the Flower Breathing technique, Kanae suddenly realized that this was the breathing method that truly suited her.

After a wonderful nap at home, snuggled up in bed with her sister, Kanae chattered on and on about the adventures and triumphs she had experienced over the past two weeks.

Ren listened with longing in her eyes, but she wasn't envious, because she knew that she would soon have such a life too.

The next day at dawn, Ling Chuanche returned from his mission.

After a long separation, Kanae stood there with a relieved smile on her face when she saw her master again: "Master, I'm back."

Ling Chuanche smiled and nodded: "Yes, it's good that you're back."

Having another capable swordsman in the family is certainly something to be happy about.

Everyone cooked a hot meal of oden at home, and Kanae enthusiastically recounted her experiences over the past few days to Ayakawa Tetsu, like a child who had just ventured out into the world and couldn't wait to go home and ask her parents for praise.

Lingchuan Tetsu listened quietly, his gaze falling on Kanae, who had become a swordswoman and was now graceful and beautiful, and then on Shinobu Kocho, who was becoming more and more mature and resilient, but he remained silent.

During the meal, whether it was Kanae and Shinobu's imagination or not, they sensed that their master was very silent, and there seemed to be something on his mind between his brows.

Seeing Ling Chuanche's silence, they exchanged a glance and did not ask any further questions.

Those who knew their master well knew that if he wanted to tell them, he would.

After finishing their meal, Shinobu pulled Kanae aside and excitedly began to talk about his idea of ​​developing a poison that could kill evil spirits.

Although she has now learned insect respiration, she has not yet conducted in-depth research on toxicology.

After listening, Kanae thought for a moment and suddenly came up with an idea: "We can go to the hospital to help. They have the most complete range of medicines there, which can fully support our research. Moreover, our medical research can also help the injured patients there recover better."

They went and told Ling Chuanche about their idea.

Originally, she thought that her master would not easily give in, since if so, she might have to stay there for quite a while. Ren had even prepared how to plead and beg her master.

As a result, Ling Chuanche nodded in agreement without even thinking about it.

"The Demon Slayer Corps' medical facilities were originally established by the first user of Flower Breathing, and Tachibana mentioned to me before that she wanted you to help out. But I didn't agree before because I wanted you to focus on your training. Now that you have your own plans, then go ahead."

I don't know why, but seeing him agree so readily made me feel uneasy.

"Master, my sister and I will be gone for a while!" Shinobu asked tentatively, her eyes filled with a hint of hope that she would be persuaded to stay.

Ling Chuanche nodded, his tone calm: "Yes, that's fine."

She pursed her lips, said "Oh," and stood up to walk outside.

"Huh?" Kanae looked at Shinobu's retreating figure, then at Ayakawa Tetsu. "Master?"

She sensed that Shinobu seemed a little angry, but her master, who used to dote on Shinobu and her, was sitting there without making a move.

Ling Chuanche picked up his teacup, concealing the emotions in his eyes: "You should go soon too."

"Oh, okay." Kanae stood up. "Then I'll be going, Master."

"Ah."

……

"What's wrong with you?" Kanae chased after her, looking at her younger sister with some confusion.

Ren was a little angry: "Sister, look at Master! When we said we were leaving, he didn't even try to stop us!"

Kanae sighed helplessly, "So that's why you're angry."

Ren glared at him: "Isn't this something to be angry about?"

Kanae was both amused and exasperated: "What's there to stop us from going to the hospital? Master is only doing this for our own good. How can you get angry with Master over such a small thing?"

She pouted, but still felt wronged.

"Alright, let's go." Kanae ruffled Shinobu's hair. "We're only going to stay for a while, we'll be back in a bit."

"Ah."

……

Ling Chuanche sat in the room, watching their figures gradually recede into the distance through the window until they disappeared from sight.

The house suddenly felt deserted, as if he had returned to his previous life of living alone.

For some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of emptiness in his heart, even accompanied by a bit of inexplicable restlessness.

He reassured himself that they would eventually part ways, and that it wasn't a matter of life and death; they were both in the Demon Slayer Corps, just living separately.

He tried to comfort himself, but the restlessness persisted. He began to force himself to keep busy.

He began to carry out missions frantically.

If there are no evil spirits in your own territory, then go to other areas.

The area that should have been under the jurisdiction of Beimingyu Xingming and Yu Sui Tianyuan was completely taken over by him.