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

This incident directly alarmed Kagaya Ubuyashiki, Gyomei Himejima, and Tengen Uzui. The three high-ranking members of the Demon Slayer Corps held a meeting late at night because of Toru Ayakawa alone.

In just one night, Ling Chuanche completely eliminated all the evil spirits in the three districts!

Uzui Tengen finally had a concrete understanding of the outside world's evaluation of Lingchuan Tetsu as the "strongest pillar"!

Previously, when others praised Ling Chuanche as the hardest-working and strongest Pillar, he felt somewhat unconvinced, thinking that it was only because he hadn't come.

But after a few days, he was completely convinced.

He had never seen anyone work so hard!

It was as if he had a deep-seated hatred for those demons—no, that's not quite right. Everyone who joins the Demon Slayer Corps has some degree of hatred for demons, but Ayakawa Tetsu was as if he was determined to fight these demons to the death, as if he would feel terrible if they lived for even a second longer, and he wished he could kill all the demons in a single day.

Finally, Kagaya Ubuyashiki had no choice but to forcefully order Toru Ayakawa to stop and rest for a while, in his capacity as the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Throughout history, Toru Ayakawa is probably the only Pillar who was forced to rest by the Demon Slayer Corps Master because he "killed too many demons".

Kagaya Ubuyashiki was worried that something had happened to Toru Ayakawa, so he personally brought Amane to visit him.

Only Ayakawa Tetsu was at home; Ubuyashiki Kagaya didn't see Kanae or Shinobu.

He knew they had been helping out at the hospital recently, and his intuition told him that Ling Chuanche's recent unusual behavior might be related to these two disciples.

But as the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, his reason told him that Tetsuya shouldn't be someone whose emotions would be swayed by something like this.

Before that, the Che he knew was a man of few words, who would remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed before him.

Pushing open the door, Kagaya Ubuyashiki breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Toru Ayakawa sitting in the room drinking tea with a normal expression.

He Tianyin stayed with Ling Chuanche for a while, and only left after confirming that he was really alright.

After they left, Ling Chuanche took out the letter that Ju Zi had written to him from his pocket.

The letter was full of praise for Kanae and Shinobu, mentioning how many people they had saved in the past few days, and so on... In the end, Tachibana wrote that no one was more suitable to take over there than Kanae and Shinobu.

Only in their hands can more people be saved there.

Ling Chuanche stared at the letter in silence for a long time before finally summoning Jixiang and sending it to deliver the message to them.

Kanae and Shinobu had just finished a day's work and were preparing to rest.

The two sisters have had a tough time lately. During the day, they take care of the wounded, and at night they begin to develop poisons.

Kanae's Flower Breathing technique has also made rapid progress recently. For them, everything is moving in a positive direction.

Until, auspiciousness landed on the window.

"Orange, Kanae Kocho and Shinobu Kocho, come here immediately to obey my command!"

Inside the room, Kanae and Shinobu looked puzzled.

Of course they recognized Jixiang; as their master's raven, they knew him all too well.

But today, Jixiang felt unfamiliar to them. Her gaze towards them carried a faint sense of aloofness, and even the tone of her voice was a cold, commanding tone they had never heard before.

Chapter 25 Taking Control of Medical Institutions

Orange arrived quickly.

Ren tilted his head, looking at Jixiang who had landed on the windowsill, and tentatively asked, "Jixiang? Is there something you need, Master?"

Jixiang gazed at her calmly, her bird eyes devoid of their usual intimacy, silently waiting.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Jixiang slowly spoke, his voice cold and mechanical, devoid of any warmth: "Kocho Kanae and Kocho Shinobu, from today onwards, you may live in the hospital. If you do not wish to do so, you may choose a residence within the Demon Slayer Corps. Once you are officially promoted to Pillars, the Demon Slayer Corps' medical facilities will be fully managed by you."

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this, and the room fell into a deathly silence.

She blinked repeatedly, mechanically replaying Jixiang's words in her mind, as if each word had become a heavy stone, crashing down on her heart.

What do you mean?

Will we live here from now on?

Will he become the pillar and take over the medical institution?

Master... what are you saying?

They were only here to cultivate for a short period of time, so why are they staying here permanently? Why are they suddenly being asked to take over this place?

Her eyes instantly reddened, overwhelmed by immense panic and grievance.

She suddenly stepped forward, her voice trembling: "What does Master mean? Does he not want me and my sister anymore? Does he not want us to go back?"

Kanae quietly watched her younger sister, who now seemed somewhat unfamiliar to her.

This was the first time she had ever seen Shinobu with such an expression—a mixture of anger, grievance, and sadness that only an abandoned little animal would have.

Kanae felt a pang of sadness, but she was older and more sensible than Shinobu.

She understood the deeper meaning behind the auspicious words and vaguely guessed her master's good intentions.

Master is paving the way for them, telling them that this is their true home, a vast world where they can use their medical skills to save lives.

Master wanted them to stay here and save more people.

but……

Seeing her sister's red eyes, Kanae couldn't bring herself to say the words of comfort she was about to utter.

Because at this moment, she realized that she couldn't completely convince herself with reason.

Although she understood that this was her master's arrangement, the words "not letting us go back" still pierced her heart like needles.

She reached out and gently put her arm around Ren's trembling shoulders, wanting to give her some support, but found that she was also trying her best to suppress the stinging sensation in her nose.

Jixiang calmly watched them, then without pausing, turned and flapped its wings, flying into the sky.

Seeing it fly away, Ren suddenly rushed out of the window as if she had lost control.

"I don't care! I'm going to ask Master myself!"

With red eyes, she ran frantically toward Ling Chuanche's mansion without regard for anything else.

Kanae caught up and quickly said, "Shinobu, don't be impulsive!"

"I want to ask him! I want to hear Master say it himself, what exactly does he mean!" Ren didn't care about anything else anymore, tears welling up in her eyes.

Seeing her attitude, Kanae stopped trying to stop her, because she herself had the same questions and anxieties.

She could understand the deeper meaning behind her master's decision to have them stay here, but she couldn't understand why her master would have Jixiang relay the message, and in such a cold, emotionless, and commanding tone, as if... he wanted to quickly sever ties with them.

However, when they arrived at Ling Chuanche's mansion, panting, they found it deserted and empty.

Ling Chuanche is nowhere to be seen.

Ren walked into the house in a daze, the whole house filled with traces of the life that the three of them, master and disciple, once had.

She seemed to see herself and her sister chasing and playing in the courtyard, building snowmen, and her master sitting on the veranda, looking at them with gentle smiles.

But at this moment, all of this seemed like a bubble about to burst. She felt her master's presence fading away, and a sense of abandonment and panic instantly overwhelmed her.

Butterfly Shinobu sat by the door, hugging her knees, silently curled up into a ball.

"Master must have gone out on a mission. Let's go back first," Kanae said softly, trying to suppress the bitterness in her heart, as she comforted her younger sister.

"No, I'm going to wait for him to come back here," Ren said stubbornly, her eyes fixed on the courtyard gate.

Kanae watched this scene without saying anything, but silently sat down next to her sister and waited with her.

And this wait lasted from nightfall to daybreak.

Butterfly Shinobu stared at the tightly closed courtyard gate, wishing that her master would suddenly push it open and come in, patting her head as usual. But nothing happened until the first light of dawn.

Looking at the rising sun on the horizon, Ren finally stood up, her voice hoarse: "Sister, let's go."

"Ren..." Kanae looked at her younger sister with some concern.

Shinobu Kocho let out a long sigh, concealing the disappointment in her eyes: "Master must have gone on a mission. Let's go back first."

……

Wearing a straw hat, Ling Chuanche stood under the shade of a tree outside the wall, quietly watching the two busy little figures inside.

Jixiang landed on a nearby branch, tilting her head: "Aren't you going in to take a look? They waited for you all night yesterday."

“I’m not going in. They’re living quite well now,” Ling Chuanche said calmly, his voice devoid of emotion.

He turned around, pulled his hat down low, and walked alone down the street.

I could hear the chatter of passersby.

"Two very capable doctors recently joined the hospital."

"I know, I know, it was those two girls, right? They're really amazing. Look, they're the ones who healed my injury."

"They are sisters, and the older sister is a very skilled new swordsman."

"She's beautiful, strong, and has such excellent medical skills. I wish I could marry a girl like that."

"You're dreaming. Do you even deserve it? You need to be at least around their age and have similar abilities to have any hope."

"Then I think it's hopeless. Right now, in our Demon Slayer Corps, the only one who is about the same age and has similar strength is that newcomer named Sabito."

"..."

As the chatter around him faded into the distance, Ling Chuanche's face, hidden under his hood, darkened, his eyes becoming unfathomable.

"Are all these people so idle lately? They don't care about how to kill ghosts, and they're thinking about this kind of thing all day long!" He snorted coldly, his tone carrying a hint of inexplicable irritation.

Jixiang, standing to the side, pursed her lips and silently thought to herself: "He clearly cares a lot, so why is he being so stubborn?"

Old man.

Ling Chuanche's gaze suddenly swept coldly over them: "What are you thinking!?"

"Gah gah!" Jixiang was startled, almost thinking that Ling Chuanche could read minds. It quickly covered up, saying, "What I think is none of your business!"

"Humph!"

……

Inside the room, Shinobu withdrew her gaze from the window.

"Master is gone," she said softly.

Kanae laughed and said, "I knew it! Knowing Master's personality, he would definitely come to see us secretly! He couldn't bear to leave us alone."