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

This child's personality will always be like this. As the eldest sister, she will only show her gentlest and most beautiful side to those close to her.

She never complained to Ling Chuanche, nor did she ever show any weakness in front of him.

Unlike Shinobu, who can always act coquettishly and vent her emotions in front of me without restraint.

The reason for all this is simply because she is the older sister. She is the eldest person in the family besides Ling Chuanche, so she feels that the responsibilities that belong to Ling Chuanche should also be borne by her.

In fact, Ling Chuanche had wanted to tell her countless times that she didn't need to do that.

To him, she and Xiaoren were no different; they were both just children, and children didn't need to put on a brave face in front of him, their elder.

Even now, only when she is fast asleep, unconscious, and let her guard down does that deep-seated pain show between her brows.

Lingchuan Tetsu gently reached out and tenderly wiped the cold sweat from Kanae's forehead with a handkerchief.

Looking at Kanae lying on the bed, Ayakawa Tetsu was relieved that the worst-case scenario hadn't happened.

Thank goodness, Kanae is alright. Thank goodness, she's still alive.

"Sleep well, child, get some rest."

As soon as Ling Chuan finished speaking, Kanae's eyebrows twitched violently, and her long eyelashes trembled uneasily, a sign that she was about to wake up.

Upon seeing this, Ling Chuanche immediately held his breath in tension.

Finally, Kanae managed to open her eyes a crack, and after a moment of blurred vision, she immediately spotted the familiar figure by the bedside.

"Master..." Her voice was as weak as a whisper in the wind, "Is this a dream...? If it is a dream... then it's alright... it's just that Shinobu will suffer..."

Ling Chuanche's heart clenched. He clenched his fists, trying his best to suppress the trembling in his voice, afraid of disturbing her: "This is not a dream, Kanae. Look carefully at your master. You are still alive, and I am still alive too."

Kanae's eyelashes trembled as she tried her best to open her eyes wide and see the person in front of her clearly.

She slowly raised her heavy hand, wanting to touch it.

Ling Chuanche immediately understood, reached out and grasped her hand.

When the warm touch was truly transmitted to her fingertips, Kanae's fingers trembled violently, as if she had been electrocuted.

Immediately afterwards, large tears rolled down her cheeks without warning, quickly soaking her pillowcase.

"Master...it really wasn't a dream after all..."

She stared intently at Ling Chuanche in front of her, her lips trembling, so excited she could barely utter a complete sentence: "Before... I was so afraid this was all just my hallucination... I was afraid that when I opened my eyes, everything would vanish..."

Tears streamed down her face as she gazed greedily at Ling Chuanche, as if trying to etch his image into her soul.

She had a million things she wanted to say, to ask him where he had been all year, to tell him how much she missed him, but when the words came out, all those words turned into the simplest feeling of relief.

"It's so good...you're still alive...it's really wonderful..."

As long as Master is alive, Shinobu will never have to be sad again...

Just then, I heard light footsteps behind me.

Tamayo pushed open the door and walked in, her brows slightly furrowed: "Mr. Ayakawa Tetsu, why didn't you tell me she was awake?"

Ling Chuanche stood up, somewhat at a loss.

Tamayo didn't say anything more and went straight to the bedside to examine Kanae's body.

A moment later, she straightened up and visibly breathed a sigh of relief: "I'm fine now, I'll recover in a few more days of rest."

"Who are you..." Kanae looked at the woman with a unique aura before her, and keenly sensed something. "Are you a ghost?"

Tamayo turned around and glanced at Ryukawa Tetsu.

Lingchuan Tetsu sat back down next to Kanae. "Let me speak."

He looked into Kanae's eyes, which were filled with doubt yet still trust, and briefly recounted everything he had experienced during this time, as well as the story of Tamayo and Yushiro.

"So Master, you've suffered so much..."

Kanae's tears started flowing again, silently sliding down her cheeks.

Ling Chuanche gently wiped her tears with a handkerchief, but he couldn't wipe them away.

In the end, he could only sigh helplessly and tease softly, "Master went through so much trouble to save you from the brink of death. If you were to leave again after crying all your tears, wouldn't Master's life have been in vain?"

Kanae stopped crying and started laughing. She sniffed, but deliberately put on a stern face: "Master, you can't talk nonsense. You're not allowed to say such unlucky things."

Ling Chuanche looked at her like this and chuckled softly: "Okay, I won't say anything more."

"So, Master, you have the constitution of a Demon Eater... No wonder your body turned out that way back then." Kanae murmured thoughtfully.

Ling Chuanche raised an eyebrow, deliberately probing, "You just believe that? Aren't you afraid I'm lying to you, Kanae? What if I really am turned into a demon by Kibutsuji Muzan?"

Kanae didn't hesitate at all, her gaze fixed firmly on Ayakawa Tetsu: "No. I know you better than anyone, Master. You are definitely not the kind of person who would compromise with evil spirits just to survive."

Furthermore, if you were truly turned into a demon by Muzan Kibutsuji, you must have had your reasons. No matter what you become, we will always believe in you.

Ling Chuanche was speechless for a moment, a warm feeling welling up in his heart, and then he said nothing more.

After hesitating for a long time, he asked softly, "Are they... all alright?"

Kanae's lips curled into a sly smile: "Who is Master asking about?"

"Ahem, Shinobu, Kanao, and Sanemi," said Toru Ayakawa with a light cough.

"Everyone has changed a lot this year..." Kanae pretended not to see Ayakawa Tetsu's attempt to hide his feelings.

Her eyes dimmed slightly for a moment, as if she had thought of something, but then seemed unwilling to say more: "However, things should be fine once you return, Master."

She looked at Ling Chuanche again, her eyes sparkling: "Everyone misses you just like me."

Ling Chuanche said, "We'll go back once you've recovered."

"Let's go back as soon as possible," Kanae murmured, her tone tinged with urgency. "I was brought back by you with serious injuries, and Shinobu probably thinks something happened to me. I don't know how worried he is. Let's go back and let him know we're safe."

"it is good."

Kanae suddenly chuckled, looking at him with a smile: "Master, why did you agree so readily just now? You said you'd go back after I'm healed, were you not sincere?"

Ling Chuanche looked at her helplessly and gently flicked her forehead: "You little rascal, why are you becoming naughty too?"

"hey-hey!"

Kanae lay on the bed and couldn't help but giggle like a child.

She herself didn't realize that the moment she confirmed that her master was really still alive, she felt incredibly relieved.

In the past, as the eldest sister, she was used to bearing all the burdens and tenderness alone, and would never say such coquettish and spoiled words.

But now, all the burdens weighing on her back seemed to vanish the moment she saw Ling Chuanche.

In front of her master, she was no longer the pillar who needed to shoulder everything.

Now, she's a child who's been pampered by her master again.

Chapter 56 Side Effects of the Marks

"Master, what's that on your neck?"

Kanae's gaze suddenly fell on Lingchuan Tetsu's neck, where there were strange dark brown patterns.

"Is this a scar? Or is it shaped like a butterfly...? It's so strange, did you put it there on purpose, Master?"

Ling Chuanche was silent for a moment, then smiled and asked to cover it up, "Hmm, is it pretty?"

"It doesn't look good." Kanae frowned immediately, her tone tinged with a hint of reproach and concern. "Master, how could you hurt yourself?"

Ling Chuanche smiled helplessly: "Okay, I won't do it again next time."

He didn't want to dwell on the topic any longer, so he stood up and calmly tucked the blanket around Kanae: "You've just woken up, you need to rest more. Even if you want to go back early, you have to wait until you're feeling better."

Kanae nodded obediently: "Yes, Master."

"Then I'll head out first," Ling Chuanche said softly.

Kanae silently watched his departing figure until the door closed gently.

The next second, she suddenly bit her lip and struggled to sit up.

My master looks strange!

He must be hiding something from her, something important he hasn't told her!

She knew her master too well, especially the way he lied. She and Xiaoren could always tell at a glance, but her master always thought he was hiding it very well, and this time was no exception.

She clutched her chest, enduring the excruciating pain as she slowly moved towards the door.

The stinging pain from the tugging at her wound made her frown and break out in a cold sweat, but when she thought of her master's hesitant expression, she gritted her teeth and persevered.

Finally, she moved to the door, carefully leaned against the wall, and pressed her ear close to the crack in the door.

……

Outside, Lingchuan Tetsu saw Zhushi intently studying something.

"What is that?" he asked softly.

"It's Upper Moon Two's body tissue and blood!" Tamayo's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement. "This is the only time in hundreds of years that I've obtained the body tissue of one of the Twelve Demon Moons. With this, I can find a way to fight Muzan Kibutsuji much faster!"

She spoke excitedly, but keenly sensed that Ling Chuanche was not very interested.

She put down the medical equipment in her hand and looked at her with concern: "Didn't the child wake up and get better? Why do you look so unhappy?"

Lingchuan Tetsu sat in the chair, remained silent for two seconds, and finally spoke: "Ms. Tamayo, do you know about the markings?"

“The mark…” Tamayo murmured the two words, then nodded. “I was once taken in by Muzan Kibutsuji for a period of time. That was about five hundred years ago, when the Demon Slayer Corps had just developed Breathing Techniques. Muzan Kibutsuji was very interested in those humans, so he studied them for a while. Later, he also discovered the mark you mentioned.”

Tamayo, lost in thought, slowly said, "It must be something that allows humans to break through their limits. As long as one possesses the mark, a swordsman's strength will be dramatically enhanced. However..."

She seemed to realize something, and her expression became complicated. She looked up at Ling Chuanche and said, "Later, Muzan Kibutsuji discovered that those humans with the markings usually didn't live past the age of twenty-five. Because he found it meaningless, he stopped paying attention to it."

Ling Chuanche lowered his head and fell into a deathly silence.

The Marked Swordsman won't live past twenty-five... That's the same as what Upper Moon One said; he wasn't lying to himself.

Ling Chuanche clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Miss Tamayo".

He suddenly raised his head, revealing the dark brown butterfly pattern on his neck.

Tamayo's expression didn't change much; she had seen the markings on Ayakawa Tetsu's neck before.