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

As the door closed gently, the entire room fell silent, leaving only the master and apprentice who hadn't seen each other for a long time.

"Happy birthday, Shinobu." Ling Chuanche broke the silence first, his voice carrying a hint of cautious tenderness.

Ren didn't react at all; she remained sitting in the shadows, like a lifeless doll.

Ling Chuanche slowly walked over, squatted down beside her, and took out the exquisite wooden box from his pocket: "This hairpin is made from a material I searched for a long time to find, and it was specially made for you."

I don't know if you'll like it, but I feel it would look great on you.

He took out the hairpin; the wisteria flower pattern shimmered with a warm luster in the dim light.

No matter how softly Ling Chuanche spoke, Ren remained unresponsive, not even changing the frequency of his breathing.

Looking at the stubborn yet lonely little figure before him, Ling Chuanche tightened his grip on the hairpin, and finally lowered his head silently.

A long silence fell over the room. After a long while, Ling Chuanche finally spoke, his voice hoarse and low.

"sorry."

Ren's eyelashes trembled slightly, but she still didn't look up.

“I shouldn’t have left you at the Butterfly Mansion, I shouldn’t have left without saying goodbye.” Ling Chuanche took a deep breath, as if he wanted to reveal all the secrets that had been buried in his heart for so long. “All I thought was that you would grow up sooner or later, and there would be a day when we would part ways.”

I don't want everyone to suffer too much when that day actually comes, so I want everyone to get used to life without me in advance.

He paused, his gaze falling on a point in the void, his eyes becoming deep and sorrowful.

The real reason, he couldn't bring himself to say.

Ling Chuanche has been searching for the evil spirit that killed his sister.

That demon... is extremely powerful, and Lingchuan Che is not entirely confident that he can defeat it.

Moreover, as the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, he might die at the hands of some evil demon at any time in the future.

His future is destined to be fraught with thorns and dangers; this is the path he has chosen for himself.

The longer you spend together, the more painful the day you finally part ways will be.

"So, you just abandoned my sister and me."

Ren finally raised her head, and her eyes, which were usually serious and indifferent to everyone, were now red like a wronged little rabbit.

“I didn’t abandon you,” Ling Chuanche instinctively defended himself, his voice extremely soft. “I’ve been watching from outside the whole time.”

Ren turned her head to the side, her tone clearly accusing: "That day you had Jixiang relay your message, and you even had it speak to us in that cold tone."

Ling Chuanche immediately said, "This has nothing to do with me; it acted on its own."

Ren glanced at him sideways, clearly showing her disbelief.

But after all, he was her most respected master, and she knew that although he hadn't shown himself in front of them during this time, he had been silently protecting them from the shadows.

The surge of resentment she felt just now was nothing more than his sudden departure. Now, seeing him so carefully, even somewhat clumsily, coaxing her, most of her anger had already dissipated.

However, even though she wasn't angry, she still deliberately kept a straight face and refused to give in easily.

"Did you come all this way just to celebrate my birthday? And you're leaving right after?"

Old man...

Ling Chuanche pursed his lips, wondering with a hint of helplessness, "Am I really that old?"

"Hmm," he responded instinctively.

Seeing that Shinobu's face darkened instantly after he finished speaking, Lingchuan Che immediately changed his words, saying, "I meant that I will come to see you often in the future. You are all so busy at the Butterfly Mansion now, and because of you, no one in the team has died from their injuries recently."

You've done a great job here. I'll come often in the future, and you can go back anytime if you want.

"Humph."

Ren let out a soft hum, and although she didn't say anything, her tense little face finally relaxed.

Ling Chuanche secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

For some reason, as her master, she found herself inexplicably losing her confidence when speaking to her little apprentice.

When she gets angry, even I, her teacher, feel afraid.

"If I go back, you won't kick me out again, will you?" Xiao Ren raised an eyebrow, her tone slightly sarcastic. "Don't let it be like last time, when I went back and found the place empty, leaving my sister and me facing empty walls."

Ling Chuanche opened his mouth, but in the end he could only lower his head helplessly, which was considered an admission of his "previous record".

Seeing his expression, Xiao Ren couldn't help but chuckle.

The next moment, Ling Chuanche felt a weight in his arms as a pair of soft little hands tightly hugged his neck.

As he smelled that familiar scent that belonged to her once again, Ling Chuanche's anxious heart finally calmed down completely.

“Master, I forgive you. But you can’t leave without saying goodbye like last time and have Jixiang relay the message directly.” She said softly.

Ling Chuanche replied softly, "Yes, there won't be any more."

"You can't let others relay messages either! In short, you can't do this anymore." Xiao Ren murmured in his arms, her voice soft, "I'll let it go this time, you understand, Master."

"……Um."

Ling Chuanche didn't realize that usually, when a master and disciple reunite after a long separation, they wouldn't hug each other so affectionately.

……

A moment later, Kanae led Sanemi Shinazugawa into the house.

Everyone sat together, with the delicate little cake in front of them.

Shinobu carefully cut off the largest piece for her master, then another piece for her sister, and finally her gaze fell on Sanemi, who was sitting to the side looking a little reserved, and she cut off a piece for him as well.

Sanemi stared at the cake being handed to her for a moment, then quickly accepted it with both hands: "Thank you, senior!"

Although he is the same age as Kanae, calling her "senior sister" comes out of his mouth very naturally.

Xiao Ren tilted her head back, her tone tinged with provocation: "I heard you're really good, you even got exempted from the team entrance exam? Let's go out and practice sometime later."

Kanae sighed and rubbed her forehead, "Shinobu, stop messing around." Sanemi came to celebrate your birthday out of kindness, and you actually tried to fight him.

Shinobu, however, did not change her mind and kept her eyes fixed on Sanemi.

Although she had forgiven her master, she hadn't forgotten the rumors she'd heard, all saying that Shinazugawa Sanemi was a powerful disciple of the Azure Pillar.

She had been resentful about this for a long time.

Feeling a chill run down his spine under his senior's gaze, Sanemi could only look to Lingchuan Tetsu for help.

Ling Chuanche thought for a moment. Shinobu was about to face the Pillar's test, and he really didn't know the exact level of her current strength.

So he nodded: "Then let's go."

Chapter 31 Welcome Master Home

on the square,

Shinobu and Sanemi stood at opposite ends, facing each other with wooden swords in their hands.

At Lingchuan Che's command, Shinobu launched the first attack.

Holding a wooden sword, she moved so fast that the naked eye could not even catch a glimpse of her. In the blink of an eye, she had already closed in on Sanemi, the tip of her sword pointing straight at his chest.

Ren's speed was even faster and more ruthless than Ling Chuanche remembered.

'So fast! '

Seeing Shinobu Kocho appear before him in an instant, Sanemi Shinazugawa's pupils contracted. He sighed inwardly, thinking, "As expected of my senior sister. It seems I must use my true abilities."

"Wind Breathing - Fourth Form - Rising Sandstorm!"

Knowing he couldn't match the speed of the ninja, Sanemi immediately opted for a large-scale defensive counterattack tactic.

The slashes surrounding him were like a whirlwind rising from the ground, blocking all of the ninja's attacks.

Ren's attack stopped at his chest, unable to penetrate any further. Seeing that her attack had failed, she used the recoil to perform a backflip and retreat, and then launched another series of attacks.

Watching their battle, Kanae's eyes were full of admiration: "Sanemi is really amazing."

The layman looks at the excitement and the insider looks at the doorway.

It's amazing to see Shinobu and Sanemi fighting each other so evenly, but you should know that Sanemi has only been a member of the Demon Slayer Corps for less than three months.

However, this does not mean that Shinobu is weaker than him. When Insect Breathing was first developed, Ayakawa Tetsu set the tone for injecting toxins into the demon's body by relying on extreme speed and explosiveness.

However, since she is now using a wooden sword, Shinobu cannot use her poison, thus limiting her strength.

Of course, the sparring between senior and junior sisters is not meant to result in a life-or-death struggle.

After several more rounds, they finally stopped when they reached a point where they could no longer hold their ground. Shinobu and Sanemi stopped their actions at the same time.

"You're really amazing, Senior Sister." Shimi spoke first, her tone full of admiration.

Upon being praised, Shinobu snorted and turned away.

Although she was praised, she wasn't happy.

She couldn't even defeat a newcomer who had only joined the Demon Slayer Corps a few months ago, which completely contradicted her initial desire to prove herself.

Although I was extremely unwilling to admit it, my master's new disciple, Sanemi Shinazugawa, was really strong.

"Alright." Ling Chuanche walked over and said gently, "You were all great."

"It's getting late, it's time to go back and rest."

Ren suddenly turned around and looked at him, her eyes sparkling: "Master, are you coming back with us today?"

Ling Chuanche was stunned for a moment. Should he follow them to the Butterfly House?

It's ridiculous for a master to live with his disciple!

Just as he was about to refuse, Ren suddenly smiled slyly and said, "If you're not going, then let's go home together!"

go home……

Ling Chuanche's heart skipped a beat.

Ren suddenly narrowed his eyes, leaned closer to Ling Chuanche, and said with a hint of threat in his tone, "Master wouldn't be willing to do this, would he?"

Ling Chuanche subconsciously took a step back and hurriedly said, "I didn't say I was unwilling."

"Let's go then!" Xiao Ren put her hands behind her back and walked away first, like a proud little peacock.